


The Princess and The Frog

by lovelytomeetyou



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/M, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-01-13
Updated: 2012-01-13
Packaged: 2018-07-27 11:16:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7615939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelytomeetyou/pseuds/lovelytomeetyou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lovina worked hard all her life to complete her childhood dream: own a restaurant; but a curse and a foreign prince transformed into a frog will drastically change her plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wish Upon a Star

**Author's Note:**

> A/N (2012): For story purposes, I've used a Nyotalia version. I hope you guys won't mind since the idea is still the same. The settings from the original story have been changed; this story passes in the Southern part of Italy for plot purposes. Please keep in my mind I'm only considering the character's personalities, rather than their ethnicities. This is also my first attempt at Nyotalia and gender bend.

At the heart of Italy, Rome, there was one house where two special young girls lived with their grandfather. Why were they special? Well, for one thing, they had the most talented chef of the whole Europe as their grandfather – even if the whole Europe didn't yet know it - and for another, they were both very talented in the subject of arts. They made the Vargas' family name proud, that's what their grandfather always said.

The oldest, Lovina Vargas, was skilled in both singing and acting, but her real passion was at cooking. She would follow her grandfather to his kitchen on a daily basis and stay there four hours at a time. At those times, she was merely shy and never said much. Differently from her sister, she was quite anti-social with other children her age and never had a friend. Not that she cared. At only eight years old, the young Italian girl already knew what she wanted to do in the future – and that was to help her grandfather cooking when they finally got the restaurant they've dreamed so much of. Though the building they planned on buying was very expensive, the Vargas family was anything but hopeful and dedicated towards their goals. There was no time for foolishness like romance and fairy tales.

The youngest, Feliciana Vargas, was skilled in practically every subject concerning the arts. She was just as talented at cooking as her sister, but her passion lay in painting. She would spend hours inside her room only to come out with her clothes completely stained with paints and a large smile. The younger Vargas sister was quite the extrovert and already had many friends. One of those friends was, in particular, one that she would go on and on describing those beautiful blue eyes and a seemingly scary aura, but actually shy demeanor. Her grandfather would hug her and mockingly tell her the boy was her first love. With only six years old, Feliciana not only believed him, she seriously stated it was exactly the case, to which Lovina just scoffed and rolled her eyes. Feliciana was an avid reader of fairy tales and had one in particular as a favorite: The Princess and the Frog. Lovina would just tell her to shut up about those books and wake up because life wasn't like that. Feliciana never believed her. How could she, when their life was so perfect?

And then it all ended.

Their grandfather became aggravatingly ill and he could no longer take care of the kitchen or work. Without work, they wouldn't earn money and their dream building was slowly fading away from their minds. Every single one of their relatives ignored her, knowing their grandfather's past reputation of constantly being fired and no one believed in his talent or came to console the girls. Lovina became increasingly more violent each day. Months passed, money was getting short and their restaurant had become an unspeakable subject between the two girls; even though Lovina always talked about it with their grandfather.

Both stopped attending school and started to take care of house duties in an attempt to stop the increasing debts from coming. Lovina insisted only she would drop out and initially it had been as such. But after a day, weeks later, in which Feliciana came crying home and told how her 'love' was no longer anywhere to be seen, she stopped to attend school as well. But they couldn't find any work. After all, who would put two children to work? Even in family establishments the minimal age would be in the late teens.

The only thing they could do was to take care of the house and of their grandfather. The money they had meticulously stored up was quickly spent with his medical bills and the house's pays. It would be a miracle to stay without debts, imagine then save the money for the restaurant. At that time, both girls realized, sadly, that they had fallen into reality. Even Lovina, the self-proclaimed realist, took the news very badly and the dream of owning a restaurant was one of pain now. She was disappointed with all their grandfather's supposed "friends", who were quick to leave them alone. Lovina no longer trusted anyone else and Feliciana no longer believed in fairy tales.

Their grandfather passed away at the beginning of fall.

.

"Just in that moment the ugly little frog looked up with his sad, round eyes and pleaded: Oh, please, dear princess, only a kiss from you can break this terrible spell that was inflicted on me by a wicked with!" The blonde Belgian stopped her narrative to say in a hushed voice that her favorite part was coming and continued once again with the tale. "And the beautiful princess was so moved by his desperate plea that she stooped down," She started mimicking the character's movements. "-and picked up the slippery creature, leaned forward, raised him to her lips," A few girls laughed at her kissing face. "And kissed that little frog." She winked.

Lovina only yawned while Feliciana lightly hit her elbow to make her pay attention to their friend.

The young lady was now standing up and swirling around the room. "Then the frog was transformed into a handsome prince! They were married and lived happily ever after. The end!" She stopped swirling and bowed to the handclaps of the young ladies in the room. Some were asking her to tell more, but she denied it with a twinkly smile. The girls were then sent to bed and all started moving towards the door in a happily manner. Only the Italian girls and the Belgian remained in the room.

Feliciana was, as always, the first to say something. "That was a wonderful story, Bella! You're a great storyteller!"

Bella smiled and hugged Feliciana smiling widely. "Thank you, Feli!"

The other girl, however, was scowling at nothing in particular.

"Is everything okay, Lovi?" Bella asked in a worried way. The girl had been awfully quiet the whole night.

"Tsch, don't call me that, blondie. That story was shit." Ignoring her sister's plea to be polite, she continued. "I would ever, ever, ever I mean never kiss a frog. Yuck!"

Bella let go off Feliciana and smiled mischievously. "Is that so?" She quickly picked up a frog doll that was thrown in the floor. "Here comes your prince charming, Lovi." She stuck it in front of the Italian's face. "Come on, kiss it!"

"NO!"

"Yes, yes!"

Lovina fell from her chair with a disgusted look on her face while blushing horribly. "No! No! No!" She continued shouting from the flood while the other girls laughed. After getting her breath back – after all, Lovi could be so cute! – Bella smiled down at her and gave her a hand.

"I would kiss a frog."

That remark visibly surprised both Italian girls and they looked at the Belgian teen. Bella was smiling, but for once, in a serious manner as she stared at the girls. Suddenly she started laughing as it was all a joke and skipped in front of them.

"I would kiss a hundred frogs if I could marry a prince and be a princess!"

Lovina scoffed almost immediately and glared at the older girl.

"Are you stupid? Do you think it all works that easily?" As she earned stares, Lovina blushed once more and glared at both in a half effective way. "A-And romance is stupid anyway!"

Feliciana and Bella quickly crowded her as they started asking if she had anyone in mind, but the Italian soon denied it all. Since her blush wasn't helping her current predicament, Lovina decided to change subject.

"I- it's not like I'd have the time for that crap, okay? B- Big chefs don't have time for this!"

Lovina and Feliciana instantly stopped. The elder Italian sister was mentally slapping her self for letting out such a thing while the younger could only stare in awe at her. Feliciana flashed a big smile and hugged Lovina, despite the other's complaints. Bella only stood in awe while watching the sisters.

"Ve! Sorella, I'm so happy for you! You still want to become a chef and follow nonno's dream?"

Lovina considered lying so she could escape of this embarrassment, but seeing Feliciana so happy and giddy made her unable to do so. This was the happiest Lovina had seen her sister in a long time. A year since their grandfather passed away and they started living provisory at this orphanage until Bella's brother came to pick her up to live in the Southern part of the country; and Feliciana had never smiled so brightly. As a fact, neither had Lovina, but it's not like she smiled as much even when they were on happier times. Lovina hugged Feliciana back in an urge of sensitivity. Feliciana just uttered another happy "Ve!" and hugged her sister back.

In an abrupt movement, Lovina pushed her sister away and glared, blushing, at Bella. The Belgian teenager was an older friend – or probably the closest thing to one that Lovina ever had – who was, at moments, very perceptive. While watching the display of affection between the sisters, she only stood smiling while looking at them. It wasn't the usual smirk or a too happy smile, but a sweeter one. The contrast with her brother was incredible: he came from Netherlands, they heard; and, in all the photos they saw, he was never smiling. Lovina was slightly scared to meet him, but Feliciana was her usual chirpy self, naïve and unafraid of everything. This, along other reasons, always made Lovina rethink any plan she might have.

Even if Bella was kind and the orphanage was quite confortable even though some called it strict – they were already used to cooking and cleaning since they were little – the young Italian always felt like she was wasting time. She had already lost a year after her grandfather had died and she decided to give up on their dream in the face of circumstances. But it was to no avail: every moment she would mention food or just see a dish of pasta she would remember their family's plan.

Whenever she was asked what she'd like to do or who she'd become, it was always the same instantaneous answer. After one year of worthless dialogues with herself – some in which Feliciana caught her in and the next moments were quite embarrassing – Lovina decided to stop lying to herself and accept her dream; her impossible, unreachable and perfect dream.

"Ve, it's so rare to see Sorella this happy!" Feliciana said as she tried to get another hug, only to be hit square in the face.

While Bella was laughing and Feliciana softly whining, Lovina tried to stay away from those two crazy girls and stood next to the window. She glanced out the window to a breathtaking view. Today was a new moon day, but it shone just as it would normally do. The source of such light, she discovered, was a very bright star, far away. She was so entranced by the beautiful star; Lovina didn't realize the other girls were now standing next to her.

"Oh, what a pretty Stella! It's so bright and beautiful, look at the contrast of the color-" Lovina stopped listening to Feliciana as she started rambling about the artistic aspects of the star – it was just a fucking start, for Christ's sake! – Bella's comment brought the Italian back from her thoughts.

"You know what? We should wish on that star!" The Belgian said excitedly. She was met with one pair of disbelieving eyes and another full of excitement.

"Yes! Yes, we should do that! Let's, Sorella, let's!" Feliciana was now literally jumping and Lovina distanced herself even more from the duo.

"Ugh, no. If you want to wish on a Stella, fine, do it. But don't involve me in those childish things."

"Quit acting like an oudge, Lovi!" The Italian frowned at the nickname. "I'm older than you are, and I still believe in fairytales! Hey, why don't we do it just like in the tale, girls?"

"Oh, la principessa e il ranocchio?" At Bella's confused phrase and Lovina's clear lack of assistance, Feliciana reworded it in English. "You mean the tale of the Princess and the Frog?"

The Belgian smiled brightly and nodded. "Yep! Why don't we wish on that star? We'll wish it with all of her hearts and be true to ourselves!"

"Tche, and then what, we dress as fucking little princess and dance around the room looking like total idiots? Or do you mean we meet prince charming and share the magical kiss with your one true love?" Lovina made sure to punctuate every single word filled with sarcasm. "Or maybe-"

"Sorella, stop."

Feliciana's voice – or rather, her face – was what made the older Vargas sister stop talking. Feliciana was for once serious and more than that, she was hurt. And it was because of Lovina's big mouth. Damn. Learning her lesson, Lovina kept quiet and after a few tense seconds, Feliciana was back to smiling and Lovina was silently soothed.

The younger Vargas girl turned back to the slightly output Belgian and smiled kindly at her. Even if Feliciana didn't believe in fairy tales as much as she did before, someone would have to, right? After all, Nonno always said she was the one with the positive look on life and Feliciana pretended to keep that quality her Nonno loved so much.

"I'm sorry Bella, you were saying?"

After a bit of hesitation, the older girl continued a bit less energetic than before. "W- Well, we could wish upon a star, but do it very carefully and think only of your wish, okay?" She eyed Lovina before turning back to Feliciana.

"And, again, why would I want to wish upon a star? This type of crap is for kids. It's not like the star can grant every single wish, y'know."

"That's right." The serious remark from Feliciana made Lovina look at her sister. "It's true, you can't expect the star to grant your wish just like that." Feliciana turned back to Lovina with a smile. "The star can only take you part of the way. The rest is up to you. Remember what Nonno said?"

Absolutely baffled, Lovina sighed loudly and said very carefully, to avoid another stupid blush. "If you're asking so much, then I guess I'll join this crap, dammit."

Feliciana and Bella smiled at the frustrated Italian and held hands with her.

"Come on, girls, wish upon a star!"

.

She could remember that day as it was yesterday. She and Nonno had just finished their newest recipe – a special flavored pasta dish – and decided to commemorate. Feliciana joined them a bit later after reporting they had finished her masterpiece, to which Lovina scoffed and their grandfather praised her a little more than necessary. If it wasn't for cooking, Lovina was sure she probably envied her sister – but only the tiniest bit – because of Feliciana's obvious talent in almost everything… aside being brave. Though that didn't count much for Lovina either.

They were eating the delicious pasta and talking about each person's day. At one moment during the meal, however, their grandfather had a remark.

"You know the thing about good food, nipotes? It brings folks together from all walks of life and it warms them right up and it puts little smiles on their faces. And when I open up my own restaurant, I tell you, people are going to be lined up for miles around, just to get a taste of my food."

"Our food!" The girls reminded him, Lovina while kicking him and Feliciana slightly whining.

Nonno only laughed good-naturedly and hugged both girls, albeit a bit awkwardly while sitting.

"That's right, girls. Our food."

Those words marked Lovina forever.

.

Wishing on a star was probably stupid, but Bella did have a point. In the end, it was all up to you. It wasn't a far away star that would make her wish come true, it would be Lovina herself that would do it, dammit. The young girl breathed in and closed her eyes. The star would take her halfway there and the rest was up to her. Lovina allowed herself a little smiled as she imagined her dream in vivid and bright colors. The rest was up to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vocabulary (I used google translator, so if it's wrong please tell me and I'll correct it!):
> 
> Nonno – Grandfather in Italian and Nipote – granddaughter in Italian.
> 
> Sorella – Sister in Italian
> 
> Stella – Star in Italian.
> 
> Oudge – Dutch for old woman.
> 
> .
> 
> A/N (2012): I loved the original movie and thought about doing a little homage in my own way. That said, here comes a much more realistic – grumpy and badmouthed – heroine in the roles of a frog/princess! Next chapter Lars, Elizaveta, the Bad Friends Trio and England finally appear! I hope to see you all in the next chapters of this adventure as well!


	2. Almost There

"But remember girls," Their grandpa whispered to them once, as if it was a secret. "That old star can only take you part of the way. You need to help it with some hard work of your own. And then-"

"We can do anything!" Feliciana chirped happily, rudely cutting him off; but Nonno only laughed good-naturedly. Lovina, however, frowned.

"Shut up, Feli, and let the man speak."

"Lovi! You can't talk like that with your sorella! Or anyone, for that matter…"

In response, Lovina only scoffed more as her mood worsened, since she had been the one to be scolded, rather than Feliciana, who rightfully deserved it.

Again, Nonno smiled and continued: "Yes, that's it, girls. You can do anything you set your mind to. Just promise Nonno one thing?" At that, both girls turned to look at him. "One tinny, little thing?" He continued, smiling, but with a serious resolve.

Both girls nodded their hands, also serious, as they waited for what exactly that would be.

A warm smile and even warmer words were their answer. "Just promise that you'll never, ever lose sign of what's really important. Okay?"

Each promised in their way; Feliciana smiled wildly and nodded fervently while repeating she would always do that while Lovina, still frowning, nodded just once, with a very thoughtful and serious expression. Nonno kissed both their foreheads and set them to sleep. In the end, what mattered was what was really important, and he hoped the girls understood that.

.

The door was opened with such intensity, one would think a burglar had arrived at their homes; but Feliciana knew it was just Lovina, back from her night shift. Setting her plate of colorful pasta on the table, she went to greet her sister at the front door with only a few steps (since it was so small).

"Good morning, sorella!" The younger Vargas girl smiled brightly at her older sister, who only frowned in response. "How was Sadiq's today, oh, I mean, tonight? Many tips?"

"Ugh, no. I hate that place. I can't cook there, since it isn't Italian food and have to work as a waitress. And all they give me are some pennies. It's not like they don't have the money." Lovina started her long list of complaints as she changed her clothes while walking to their shared bedroom while Feliciana followed, hearing every word with contempt. The younger Vargas had always been better tipped than her sister.

"I see, so I was a rough night for tips…. But remember, every little penny counts!" Failing at trying to cheer her sister up, Feliciana went back to the small kitchen at their cubic apartment to eat her meal.

Lovina turned around and eyed the meal: her suspicion had been correct - it was pasta. "Feli, remember that we can't eat like that everyday? We have to save money for that building we found some years ago. And by eating pasta everyday, it'll be much harder to get that!"

"But, sorella, pasta is my favorite dish!" Feliciana whined while putting a mouthful into her mouth.

"And so is pasta and pizza for me! But you don't see me cooking that everyday, now, do you?" Ignoring a mumbled "never see you cooking anything more than simple meals", Lovina continued. "Feli, you know money is tight. Aren't we working for that, after all? Don't you want to buy that place, which will be Nonno's place and ours?"

At the mention of their grandfather, Feliciana stopped eating and eyed her sister.

"We can't do that if we keep spending like this! God knows it's tough having to take two shifts while you work part-time in a restaurant, play in the city's shitty orchestra and sell your paintings." Before Feliciana could complain about how that orchestra wasn't 'shitty' at all and Edelstein was a wonderful maestro, Lovina sighed. "Feli… that's still your dream, isn't it? This isn't just me pushing you into something you don't want to do, is it?"

"No, sorella, it isn't." Lovina looked up and was surprised to see the serious demeanor of her sister. "I want to have a restaurant just as much as you do, but not because of Nonno. He was happy, you know, even without it… because he had us. Thank God we also have each other, because I know I could never do half of what I do without you. Lovi, I know you're trying hard, but you need to rest. We can't have you sick, now can we?" Feliciana smiled and Lovina, for once, smiled back at her.

The elder Vargas, now at ease, quickly slumped in her bed and promptly began sleeping. Since Feliciana wouldn't be there, their two alarm clocks were set at the same time to wake up the Italian girl. It was their routine already: Lovina would come back from her job at Sadiq's at five thirty in the morning while Feliciana would leave at six to arrive at the city's café and work from eight o'clock till two, when she would then go to the city's hall and train with the orchestra. At five o'clock Feliciana would be back and quickly start practicing her culinary and painting talents, in order to make something affordable, while Lovina left at four for her first job, working in a Greek restaurant, and from there she went to Sadiq's. The funny thing was that Lovina worked for both rival restaurants and exactly for that reason, neither had ever fired her, despite her cynical remarks and bad reception to the customers – they wanted her to choose which was the best, when in reality, she wasn't much of a fan of either.

And that was their way of making a living: Lovina worked two jobs, with rarely enough time for sleeping and cooking, while Feliciana, equally as busy, would divide her day with work, artistic activities (such as the orchestra) and producing affordable paintings. Honestly, Feliciana, as the other members of the orchestra, was rarely paid for her efforts, but it allowed her a chance to be among artists and others interested in her talents and paintings, earning them an extra cash for the month.

"Another coffee here, Feli!"

"Coming!" Feliciana handled the orders quickly, yet gracefully, as more customers entered the cafe.

"Morning, Feli!"

As usual, the young waitress went to serve her usual acquaintances with her same age. While all of them also worked and had a difficult financial situation, they weren't nearly as serious of it as she and Lovina was. Now and then Feliciana would enjoy some chats and always treat them kindly, but that didn't mean they were exactly their friends.

"Hey, Feli." One of the boys called her attention as she started to leave the table with their requests written. Turning around, Feliciana saw a smirk and instantly knew what he would say next. "We're all goin' out dancin' tonight. Care to join us?"

"Yeah, c'mon, Feli, you could use a little rest! You work yourself to the bone, girl!" An energetic girl of her age, Marie, added excitedly.

Feliciana just smiled and declined the invitation while the group of teenagers started to whine about her obsession with work. "If you think I'm obsessed, you should see sorella", Feliciana thought to herself while she recited the requests to the chef.

But of course, the young owner of the place, a boy of about her age, came up to talk to her. "Are you still thinking about that restaurant dream of yours? You should give up on that while you still can, girl! You got about as much chance of getting that restaurant as I do of becoming the prefect of this town!" He started laughing obnoxiously and Feliciana could only smile back, politely. She absolutely couldn't risk losing a job when they were so close to their dream, even if the boy was annoying, at the very least. Before, she usually broke in tears when someone said such things, but that was neither an intelligent remark nor did it come from someone who understood her and her dreams. She might not be as good at answering back like Lovina was, but Feliciana was every bit as determined to get that restaurant as her sister was, and it wasn't going to be a stupid remark that would make he stop there. She received those every single day from the people she worked with and even her so called 'friends' at that place, especially the young owner. He would insult both her and her sister's dream and then propose to her so she could earn that little old cafe. Of course, she always refused.

The mocking part seemed to be over and now it would probably be another failed proposal, to which Feliciana would have to awkwardly handle, when the sound of the door opening and the arrival of two gests thankfully interrupted the boy.

"Morning, Feli!" That light and festive voice could only be her. Bella was back in town!

Turning around, she was met with a lively young woman with short blond hair and a much taller, serious man beside her. Feliciana remembered him; he was Lars, Bella's older half-brother who "rescued" them from that old catholic orphanage. Lars was the heir of a big family business and, as soon as he turned eighteen, he made sure Bella was added to the family, even if she was the daughter of a Belgian lover. Their firm was in Netherlands, so they barely had time to visit, but Bella always called them and asked how they were doing. When Lars came for Bella, he also managed to take both of the Vargas sister's guard, but they remained in Italy while chasing for their dream. At the time, both girls had been fifteen while Bella was seventeen.

Now, three years later, Bella seemed very much different; she no longer looked like a precocious teenager and was now a refined young woman with good taste in clothing and a face covered with make-up. Lars appeared to be the same, always stoic and neatly dressed, never addressing a word to others – but Feli knew that was just the way he was. She shouldn't feel bad, Feliciana knew that, but somehow, seeing how perfect Bella's life seemed now and how both she and Lovina hadn't been able to afford new clothes for already four months made her a bit sour. She pushed those thoughts away while she heard Bella rambling about how long their trip had been and the latest news in her fashion life.

"Feli, did you see the news? Did you? Oh, tell her, big brother!" Bella was jumping in excitement like a little child while Lars frowned. Reluctantly, he said.

"Ah, right. Prince Carriedo-"

"Prince Carriedo of Spain is coming to the South of Italy!" Bella screamed, making Feliciana flinch. "Oh, and you know what else? Tell her, big brother!"

"Well, our family invited-"

"Our family, more specifically, big brother, invited the prince to the masquerade ball that will be held at out place tomorrow night!" Bella opened her arms in a theatrical movement and Feliciana was happy to see she still maintained her happy persona who loved to tell stories. "Tell her what else, big brother!"

Saying it ever so stoically, Lars continued with a huff. "And he is stay-" Before Bella could interrupt him again, he put his hand firmly over her mouth as he continued. "And he is staying in our house as our personal guest." Bella got away from his old and grinned once more. Then, she proceeded to hug Feliciana tightly and ask of how she has been over time and exactly what she was wearing and how that simply won't do.

Unbeknownst to the chatty group, a gentleman next to them was hearing the story with mild interest while seeping his tea.

"Oh Bella, that's wonderful!" Feliciana smiled genuinely. Bella always had a passion for fairy tales, just like Feliciana once had, and it was sweet to maintain such sweet ideas. Feli herself couldn't bring herself to believe in things like love at first sight, but she still romanticized the idea of a nice man – not a Prince Charming. "A little piece of advice, then: my Nonno always said that the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Which was an advice that she never proved on her own, however.

Bella instantly squealed and hugged Feliciana out of the blue, thanking her ever so much.

"Oh, you're such a genius, Feli! That's absolutely correct! The way into a man's heart is through his stomach!" The blonde let go so she could start planning. "Oh, we need food! We definitely need good food for the party now! Food…" Thinking about her last word, she sent a glance to Feliciana and then one back to her brother, voicing her thoughts. With an imperceptible nod from him, she smiled.

"That's it, then! Feli," She turned to the girl with certainty in her eyes. "You and Lovi are in charge of the food for the party!"

Before Feliciana could answer, Bella took out from her wallet a dozen of green notes and handed unceremoniously to her. "Will this about cover it?"

For a good few seconds the Italian girl hadn't shown a single reaction; she only stood there, with her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide. As soon as she grasped the situation and what this meant for both her and Lovi, however, tears started to fall and touch her smiling cheeks. Her reaction surprised everyone in the restaurant aside from the two foreigners and now Feliciana was the one hugging Bella – and even Lars – and not the other way around. After composing herself, she proceeded to take off her apron and promptly quit her job before leaving the café with both Bella and Lars.

"This is it! Tonight my prince is coming!" Bella sighed with an enamored glint in her eyes while Lars simply rolled his eyes.

Unable to repress the smile from her face while grinning widely like a schoolgirl still amidst tears, Feliciana whispered to herself.

"This is it! We're getting our restaurant!"

She couldn't wait to see the face her sister would make.

.

"Everything looks absolutely perfect." Both Vargas sisters sighed while looking at the old building, which was ironically almost falling to pieces.

The two sellers, both Asian men, one who looked like a woman with his long smooth hair and another who was shorter and quieter, looked at them in slight awe. That building had been there for years and now finally some buyers had attended. The shorter man, Kiku Honda, Feliciana remembered him saying, said with his usual politeness.

"We have all the paperwork ready to sign, Miss. Vargas and Miss. Vargas."

Feliciana smiled at his attempt to address both of them and simply answered. "There's no need to be polite like that, Kiku! Call me Feli, and she's Lovi!" She answered loudly.

Kiku gasped quietly, surprised at the younger twin's lack of formality. Her attitude reminded him of the owner of the Greek restaurant nearby, Karpusi-san. While she was eager and spoke loudly, the Greek man only nodded off sleepily at him, but both seemed to emanate the same friendly wave. Still, it was a bit too uncomfortable to him, so he stood silent. While Feliciana was failing at her attempt at making a friend, Lovina decided to talk with Mr. Wang.

"So, guy that looks like a woman," At that, the Chinese man huffed and glared at her. Deciding that she couldn't care less if he liked her or not, as long as she got their restaurant, she continued. "Why don't we all sign this tomorrow at the La Bouff masquerade ball? Let's not keep this business opened for too long. I've had my eyes in this restaurant for a long time."

Nodding, he replied curtly. "Understood. We'll see about it there."

Both Asians left quickly, while the young ladies stayed in front of the restaurant. Feliciana tried waving at them, but since neither answered, she frowned and looked at her sister. She was a bit surprised at the serious expression her sister wore. For those who didn't know Lovina, they'd think she was pissed at something, but Feliciana knew she was deep in thought. In the last hours, Lovi's usual frown had been invisible. The frown she wore with the businessmen was much more silent, more professional. But now that they were alone the older Vargas finally broke into a barely contained sob.

And like a switch, both sisters started crying uncontrollably and yelling happy words through sobs. Both hugged each other and began retelling their old stories from the time Nonno was alive, with a smile on their faces. Those stories had always been quite difficult for both to talk about, but now it seemed like the whole weigh was taken off their shoulders and now all there was to do was sigh happily and begin working. Both girls were so concentrated on the building, while thinking of improvements they could do and the coloring of the place, that they didn't see an old friend coming.

"Table for one, please."

At the known voice, both turned around and Feliciana instantly smiled and went to hug the Hungarian girl while Lovina stayed there. Elizaveta Héderváry was a friend from the times of the orphanage; she made friends with Feliciana, always acting like an older sister to her and soon after she was an already good friend with Bella. Lovina haven't talked much with her, but she knew how much Feliciana simply adored the older girl, so she remained polite. For some reason, it seemed that the longhaired brunet in front of them had acted as a boy in her youth and at the time she entered the orphanage after the death of her parents, they had mistaken her gender. Only much later, when the Vargas girls and Bella arrived did they meet Elizaveta when the girl was already wearing dresses and had let her hair down.

She had been the first to leave, after a marriage proposal from an Austrian pianist; but Feliciana once told her things hadn't worked out and Elizaveta started living life on her own - something that definitely made Lovina respect the older girl much more. Elizaveta was calm, tranquil, but there was a glint in her eyes that told of her playfulness and how strong she was (Feliciana's old stories of her always scared Lovina to the core).

"What are you doing here, Liz? It's been such a long time!" Feliciana was jumping in excitement next to the Hungarian.

"Bella invited me to her ball, so I've decided to say here for a while! I'm currently staying at her place. Oh, Feli, she just told me: is it true you're finally getting your restaurant?" Her emotion was really strong and even Lovina felt touched. Whenever they would mention their dream people would scoff at them or pity them, even, but Elizaveta seemed to always have taken it very seriously and never once stopped supporting them. Both Bella and Elizaveta had been amazing additions to their lives during the orphanage, and Lovina only realized it now.

"Here, this is a little something to help you two get started." She held a frying pan – that seemed to have been used many times before – in front of the girls. While Lovina just looked at it confusedly, Feliciana's eyes brightened with understanding and she once more hugged Elizaveta.

"C- Could we really, Liz?" Feliciana said, with wet eyes. "This frying pan is the only thing you have from your mother…"

At this, Lovina's eyes widened.

"If that's so, then you shouldn't give it to us!" Both girls looked shocked at Lovina's sudden burst of words – she barely talked much with the Hungarian – which earned a deep blush from the older Italian girl. "A memory is always important, dammit…" This time Lovina only murmured, but everyone was able to hear it.

Elizaveta smiled, and before Lovina could think, the Hungarian girl was hugging her. There was a subtle smell flowers – which Lovina presumed came from the flower that was behind the brunette's ear – and, surprisingly, the hug hadn't been too uncomfortable. Lovina was definitely not a person who loved much physical contact, as she always blushed by being embarrassed, but at this moment, there was no way she could shove Elizaveta off. The older girl had just given them the only memory she had from her mother and Nonno always said that older pans that were spent with love always make tastier food. Lovina inhaled deeply in a futile attempt to subside her blush and soon enough the hug was over and a frying pan was in her hands.

The frying pan was of exceptional quality, Lovina realized, it was light but the material was resistant and it would definitely be able to cook for a very long time. She thought there was a slight bump in the middle of it, but it was probably just her impression. After all, nothing could make such a resistant material bend like that. It'd be too incredible, Feliciana would say later when they were both discussing the qualities of the frying pan.

After short conversations of how each other had been doing were over and Lovina was slightly more comfortable around Elizaveta, the three decided to enter the restaurant. Lovina and Feliciana nearly ran over as soon as they opened the doors, revealing a vast space filled with dust and old wood. The roof was almost nonexistent – in consequence, all the remaining sunlight entered the room – and the wood in the walls seemed too fragile to handle anything else. The place positively reeked and one would have to take care with one's every step while walking in a place like this.

"Doesn't it just make you want to cry?" Both girls said at the same time, marveled at something Elizaveta could not see. To avoid being impolite, she just answered a simple and awkward "yes"; the girls didn't seem to notice.

"Here will be the grand entrance and the tables will start from here," Lovina was pointing to directions near the door. "Our name will have to be in bright colors too."

"Oh, let me paint it, please, sorella!" With a nod from her sister, Feliciana beamed. "It'll be yellow and red then, ve!" Looking around, the younger Italian was already imagining the colors she would paint the walls and what paintings they could hang there – of course, at the center of the saloon there would be Nonno's picture.

"Over here will be the reception, and we could use that part in the back for the main kitchen. And here… hmm, maybe a place for a band? But it would be expensive to find one…" Lovina was now mumbling to herself.

"I think the orchestra could come over sometimes too, Lovi! So that would be a big help, right?" Feli chirped from her side of the saloon.

"Sure, Feli."

Those were one of the rare moments Lovina displayed a smile, and for that, Feliciana gave her back an ever-bigger one.

"We can also contract some local band too, anyway. The important is to think about the cuisine and the service quality – we can change places, but it will probably be me in the kitchen and you serving, si?" Feliciana nodded. "We can manage."

"How are you two going to do all that?" Elizaveta asked, stunned.

"By working hard, of course!" Was Lovina's immediate answer, followed by a "Working lots and lots! Ve!" from Feliciana.

It took a while for Elizaveta's eyes to go back to their normal sizes, and then the girls were already discussing something else concerning the restaurant. The Hungarian girl was shocked. When they were at the orphanage, the two sisters always hated to work and always found a way to get free of it, saying it was too "boring (dammit)"; and yet, now they were animatedly discussing how hard they would have to work to transform this broken building into an amazing colorful restaurant full of life.

But they also had changed. They were older and obviously taller and mature, but there was something else that changed. They were much more serious than any other girl of their age; only eighteen and already planning big dreams like that without a thought for having fun. When Elizaveta had been their age – which still wasn't long ago, thank you very much, since she was only twenty-one; Bella was the oldest in the group – she only thought of having fun with fights and getting the best of her life with it. Her life had changed completely ever since her parents' death and after she joined the orphanage and much later as well, when she accepted that excuse of a wedding. Roderich had been marvelous, really, he was kind and considerate, besides being a real gentleman, but after some time, both realized it wouldn't work out. She still sent him letters, of course, and one of the reasons she was back in town was to attend one of his concerts.

"-And hanging up from the ceiling there will be a big and old crystal chandelier!" Feliciana was almost shouting with joy as she pointed above.

"You are Nonno's granddaughter, all right." Lovina sighed, still with a playful smile in her lips. "He used to go on and on about the decoration, rather than the food. Never got that."

"Ve?" Feliciana turned around to face her sister. "Don't you see, Lovi? Presentation is just as important as quality and to bring in clients, we need to have a nice and comfy place that makes them feel at home!"

Both Vargas sisters smiled while remembering their not so old and eccentric grandfather.

"Girls, I'm sure this place is going to be just wonderful." Elizaveta smiled happily at them. "But it's a shame you're both working so hard. You're young, you should enjoy life! Go out, make some friends, have a good time…"

Lovina frowned at that. When they decided to continue their dream, they had both made sure to think it all out, and there was no need to remind of that now. From the corner of her eye she could see Feliciana's face being slightly doubtful. Feli had always been the most extrovert one too, so of course she would miss that type of thing. But for Lovina, the restaurant was the most important thing for her, and she never felt like she was giving something up for that dream.

"But how can we let this go now when we're just so close? We have to make sure all that hard work of ours means something!"

"Lovi!" If it hadn't been from an unexpected voice, the Italian girl would have kept talking.

The three girls turned around to see, at the front door, a serious Bella. She was wearing a different set of clothes from before and Lars seemed to be nowhere around. Her expression – usually that calm and seductive smile of hers – was now in a tight frown and no girl dared say anything. Bella walked in while berating the Italian girl.

"Look, your opa may not have gotten the place he always dreamed about, but the had something better. Do you know what that is?" Bella frowned when her only answer had been confused and slightly scared faces. "He had love. And that's all that really matters in the end, dear."

"Eliza and I," Bella said, wrapping an arm around the Hungarian, who didn't flinch. "Actually became friends because of you two. We had an older sister type of bond." Bella smiled to Elizaveta, who returned it. But then Bella was already walking in front of the Italian girls with her typical cheerful mood and too dramatic poses. "You'll meet your prince charming and dance with him until you're in your happily ever after! Both of you!" Bella hugged both girls unceremoniously, with Lovina flinching and Feliciana simply surprised.

Lovina was the first to get out of the hug, rather violently, as she roughly declared she didn't care a thing about love. Feliciana also got out a few moments later, stating she also no longer believed in fairy tales. Bella stared in awe at both of them as Elizaveta seemed to be deep in thought. Lovina already knew about her sister's lost of ideals, and while she dreaded her sweet Feli wasn't so hopeful anymore, she also appreciated the more realistic side of her now. But still, if just one of them could ever find their prince charming, Feliciana should be the one.

"I don't have time for messing around, you know?" Lovina stated. "And it's not my style."

Bella's comment of "How about love?" was completely ignored as Feliciana also started talking.

"The way people work here, so lazily and always taking the easy way… it sometimes makes me slow down too. But I know exactly where I- we," She turned to her sister with a fresh smile on her face. "Are going. And we're getting closer each and every day!"

"And we're almost there!" Both Vargas sisters said at the same time, with the same wide smile. In those moments, it really wasn't so easy to differentiate Lovina from Feliciana.

"Even if people down here think we're probably crazy, che." Lovina was already back into her foul mood. "But it's not like I care, anyway. When they do something worth my time, then I'll start caring."

"We've had our share of trials and tribulations… It was surely tough, but we'll be fine." Feliciana's words were directed to the two older girls, who were smiling. Bella decided to join in the fun.

"I remember when moeder told me all about fairytales and how they can come true. Remember? A wishing star and the rest is up to you!" The Belgian winked and the girls laughed. "Now things will surely go my way and I'll finally find my prince charming!"

Elizaveta simply rolled her eyes and answered. "I don't care about prince charming, as he seems too perfect to be actually interesting… but true, it does all depend on you. And when I go to your ball tomorrow, Bella, there's nothing going to stop me! Look out boys, I'm coming through!"

The girls joined in a little circle and started singing along to a quick and easy song they knew at the time of the orphanage. Soon enough they were saying together words of praise and encouragement to each other while singing.

"Now things for sure are going my way!" Said Elizaveta confidently as she finally had control over her life and her romances. She was independent and free.

"I'm almost there!" Cried Bella in delight while picturing her prince.

"People are going to come here from everywhere!" Feliciana threw her arms over Lovina.

"And we're almost there." Lovina completed with a smile, besides crossing her arms and trying to maintain a serious pose – and failing.

"We are all almost there, girls!" Bella shouted, before hugging the giggling girls.

Even if all of them had different stories and different goals, somehow, it didn't really matter in the end. All they knew and cared about was about their and their friend's dreams. What they didn't know, however, was that the masquerade ball tomorrow would seal the fate for all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vocabulary (using google translator):
> 
> Opa: grandfather in Dutch
> 
> Moeder: mother in Dutch
> 
> A/N (2012): This chapter would be too long so I cut it short. Slight Giripan in this one. The Masquerade Ball comes next! My update schedule will be very irregular, however, but I'll always be working on something whenever I can.


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur Kirkland was a self-entitled gentleman. Therefore he would never – try to – break etiquette. So he did not, in any way, eavesdrop the conversation that happened just moments ago. Oh no, he was just drinking his – not so good – Italian-made tea while idly reading the journal, just like every morning for the last year or so. In his defense, the girls had been talking too loudly at the front of the little restaurant and so every single client heard what was said. He witnessed the drastic change of conversation as the chirpy blond woman offered the young brunette a chance of a job, or something like it, and said girl proceeded to quit her job right then and there before exiting the place giggling. While the events had been indeed quite intriguing, Arthur, as a gentleman, should in no way pry into the lives of young ladies. And he really wouldn't if it wasn't for a single remark he heard.

"Prince Carriedo of Spain is coming to the South of Italy!" Said by the blonde a few moments ago.

And the remark changed his whole perspective of another boring and mediocre day at this terrible place while being exiled from his actual home. Arthur remembered prince Antonio Carriedo as if it were yesterday, when they met at a young age and quickly became rivals. After all these years, he hadn't really expected to ever see Carriedo again. After all, while Arthur had been exiled from his country due to some problems, he wasn't as bad as the Spaniard was. There were rumors Carriedo had been too irresponsible with his obligations and his choice of friends hadn't been one of the best.

And now he'd probably already arrived or would be shortly coming to this end of the world and there hasn't been anything in the journal commenting it. If the snobby prince had come all the way from Spain to here in search of a rich girl, that could only mean two things. One: his own family had disinherited him or two: he was completely broke. Or maybe even both.

The Brit smiled wickedly at the prospect of finally getting his revenge on the Spaniard. He got up, left a few coins on the table since he knew after the spectacle from a while ago there would be shortage in waiters and quickly got out of the restaurant. Let it be said that Arthur Kirkland was a self-entitled gentleman and a mage of sorts that was currently living in Italy against his wishes. Also, when he held a grudge, it could last for a very long time. Now he just couldn't wait to meet his old and not so lovable childhood rival.

.

"How about this one, sorella?" Feliciana chirped in for the ninth time in only five minutes.

"No, Feli."

"But you didn't even turn around to see it!"

With a quick movement, Lovina eyed the piece in her sister's hands before turning back to cooking. They still had to finish a hundred of other small dishes for the ball, dammit.

"Hmm… And what about this one, sorella? What do you think?"

Lovina wasn't sure if she would be able to endure a conversation about dresses any longer. But she definitely didn't want to upset her sister, especially in such an important day. And with many, many dishes yet to go, she couldn't afford to have a whiny and unresponsive Feliciana right now. So, trying her best to keep her composure – but not smiling, because Feli could always spot a fake smile – Lovina turned her head again to see her sister.

This was one of the times Feliciana would become so concentrated that nothing around them could ever break her concentration. Sure, Lovina also had times like these, but they only happened when she was immersed in a good book of recipes or just simply cooking. But Feliciana had many other hobbies besides cooking, such as painting, playing the violin, decorating their house, and knitting… Really, if it weren't for Feli their house would probably be a complete mess. The younger Vargas sister had always been the most talented one, and as she received compliments on many different areas, she started acquiring many artistic activities for herself. Lovina only had cooking.

As if sensing Lovina's distress, Feliciana stopped eyeing the dresses spread on her bed and looked directly into Lovina's eyes. Maybe because they were sisters or maybe because they didn't have anyone else, they had something close to an ability: one would always know what the other was feeling – though not quite thinking – and sense the other's distress. With time, that ability only grew as Lovina started to get more irritated through longer periods of time and Feliciana let go of her old dreams and consequently, a small part of her previous cheerfulness.

But today was no such day for the girls. It was a happy, exciting day that would change their lives forever and they would finally get their restaurant. They would finally have all of their dreams – and Nonno's – come true.

"Sorella, I think you should wear the green one after all. Green has always looked better in you." Feli smiled.

Forgetting for a moment their obligations, the stress and the sheer emotion of this day, Lovina let herself smile. "Grazie, Feli." But it wasn't just for the dress suggestion. Oh no, far from it. "For everything, really."

The younger Vargas's smile grew so big it could've outshined the sun. "Grazie, Lovi."

Their rare moment of no misunderstandings was cut short, though. They still had much to do. The ball would start at eight o'clock, but as the chefs, both had to be there before any of the other guests. The transportation was already taken care of – Bella lent them a large truck of their family – and even their fantasies were already ready, courtesy of both Bella and Elizaveta. There were two beautiful and almost identical dresses, one in green and another in blue. Feliciana was taking care of the clothes for the moment as Lovina was dealing with both cooking and cleaning.

There was a lot of work, but it was nice. Whoever knew – or thought they knew – the Vargas sisters would've been surprised by the sheer amount of effort both were putting in this ball, since it was a fact that they hated working. In reality, however, they didn't hate working as they hated the prospect of working in something that didn't interest them – people just didn't get that. No one had ever really understood them, not even Bella or Elizaveta, but they were fine with that. They had each other, after all.

"Sorella, do you want me to adjust the breast part? It's too large, I think it might fall off."

At that, Lovina stopped cooking and turned to glare back with fire in her eyes.

"And what was that supposed to mean, Feli?" Lovina asked with a smile that was very different from her previous one. The sweetness in Lovina's voice was acid.

The younger Vargas could only silently gulp. Damn her mouth and Lovi's stress.

.

The sight of a small group of young men would've been absolutely normal in the port at such hour, when many tourists came by late afternoon to visit the town, but the loudness and beauty of said men certainly weren't. It looked like all of them had recently arrived from some models' magazine, with their looks and very expensive-looking outfits. Thankfully there weren't many girls around, otherwise the small group wouldn't have moved so quickly. As soon as they were in one of the major avenues and had somewhat mingled in with the crowd, the trio started chatting animatedly while the tallest one - a blue-eyed blond man - just sighed tiredly.

"Ah, how magnifique! Breathe in, mes amis, for this is the air of the beautiful Southern Italy!" The tall and blue-eyed blond loudly proclaimed those words as if he himself were their tour guide. While the Frenchman had visited Italy three times already because of his little cousins, he still didn't know much about the Southern part of the country.

"Pff, not nearly as awesome as my homeland, that's for sure. Nothing can beat Prussia!" The albino exclaimed even louder than his friend, earning a few glares towards their group.

"I think you mean Germany, Gilbert. It hasn't been called that for ages, even before you were born." The Frenchman said with a smirk.

"Shut up, Francis." The albino started grumbling about how 'unawesome' – which isn't even a word, as Francis's pompously added – the country's name was now. Beside him, a blond and taller man just sighed.

"Bruder, remember that we must arrive as subtly as possible so as not to attract the media's attention?"

"Stop being so unawesome too, We- I mean, Ludwig." Gilbert quickly corrected his mistake before others could hear him. After all, only the oldest Beilschmidt called the youngest one with the affectionate nickname of 'West'. "And besides, the one who should be worried here isn't even flinching." And to make his point, Gilbert pointed to the fourth member in the party: an overly smiling Spaniard who was eagerly absorbing their surroundings.

"Que hermoso! Que ciudad maravilhosa!" Antonio was loudly exclaiming as he continued to spin around, looking frantically at everywhere and nowhere. "Don't you guys think so?"

His question met three unfazed looks. Antonio was by far the most eager member of the group and by the way he was behaving, no one would even think of him as a prince. Even if the title was only in name now.

"Say, Antonio, would you like me to give you a tour around the belle sud de l'Itallie?" Francis asked good-naturedly.

At the request, Antonio brightened even more and the two quickly took off. Gilbert smirked and went to join them in search for adventure, before the other German spoke.

"Bruder, where do you think you are going?" The blue-eyed man asked seriously.

Gilbert rolled his eyes and scoffed at him. "Oh, come on, lighten up already, Luddy!" The albino took pleasure seeing his younger brother flinch at the nickname. "We arrived safely here and pretty early at that and no one noticed us. If anyone does, I'll say we're from the circus because of our outfits. I doubt anyone would have the brains to think we're actually real royalty. Besides, I don't want to see Bella be even weirder than normal when seeing 'prince' Antonio. And she's probably already crazy about the stupid ball too."

"Are you saying I should be there when she freaks out, as you put it, Bruder?"

"Nah, don't worry. She never gets mad at you. You'll always be sweet and shy little Luddy to her, even though you're now taller than the awesome me!" Gilbert emphasized his point by patting the taller man's head. He laughed inwardly when seeing his little brother was still cute when he blushed.

"We'll be back before the ball starts. Don't you worry, West!" Gilbert smiled brightly before quickly turning and walking away. "Guys, wait for me!" And with that, the albino had already taken off.

Ludwig sighed tiredly again. How would he explain the absence of the infamous trio to older sis Bella? Those questions were sent to the back of his mind as he smiled softly to himself. After all these years, Gilbert still called him West and saw him as a younger brother. It was all that mattered to Ludwig for now.

.

"So, what should the Bad Friends Trio do first thing in South Italy?" Gilbert asked after their drinks arrived at their table. As always, his chosen one was beer, but this time around he decided to try an Italian brand. Not as good, the albino thought to himself.

"No idea, mon ami. It isn't sunset yet, so none of the places I usually go are open yet. Right now, only the families and tired workers are out in the city. The real fun begins at night's fall." Francis answered with a wink, which was lost to his two friends.

"Man, this sucks! And here I was, eager to see some of Italy's best parts!" The albino growled.

At that, the Spaniard finally looked at his friends. "What do you mean, Gil? This is already one of Italy's best parts! Ah, such a beautiful city! I used to come here when I was younger, but only now I can appreciate the place more!"

"How so?" Francis asked with a twinge of perverseness, which was once again lost to Antonio.

"Because now I can talk with other people and dance and sing! I don't have to be stuck inside a fancy car with people who don't really care for what I have to say or what I like."

Both his friends nodded slowly; they knew exactly how it felt.

Antonio continued enthusiastically. "Just a while ago I saw some children dancing along to an upbeat song and I even joined in! It was so much fun, amigos!"

Gilbert was smiling maniacally now – a sight already common to the other two – which was a sign a new idea was forming in his head.

"What if we form our own little band, then? It would be by far the most awesome thing in the universe!" The words were now quickly leaving his mouth, filled with excitement. "Francis, you can be our singer! Tony, you'll be our guitarist or whatever instrument has strings and the awesome me will do the drums! How about it?"

Antonio and Gilbert's smiles seemed to be in a contest with the sun – and they were winning. Francis laughed good-humoredly and nodded.

"If it's only for a short time, I have no objections. After all, we must enjoy life, non?"

Soon enough their quick arrangements were done and the trio left the little bar. The sky was full of light and dark oranges and soon enough nightfall would come. The trio decided to split in order to get all the equipment in time for the ball. Gilbert and Antonio would search for the instruments and Francis would get fitting outfits for both the ball and their little band.

Francis watched the happy duo go. It was quite a strange combination, with a somewhat-naïve Spaniard and a wild German, no, Prussian albino smiling to each other while singing some of their homelands' songs. Anyone would think they were drunk when they only had one fill each. But then again, they were the so-called Bad Friends Trio, known for all craziness in the whole world. The forever bachelors, the good-looking rich monarchs… though now there wasn't much richness to add. Francis frowned a bit as he continued walking down the street.

The famous trio who had it all was now poorer than ever. They lost power, status and money. Not only that, they also had to leave their homelands for a while – a long while. All three had been disinherited due to their bad conduct over the years. This whole trip was an escapade for them. Antonio from his authoritarian family who demanded him to marry quickly, Gilbert from his traditionalist parents and overachiever brother – even though Ludwig came along with them - and long lost childhood love while Francis… well, he hadn't been disinherited and he still maintained contact with his siblings but the Frenchman just couldn't find his will to go back. France would always be his home but he felt too lost to go back and start training under his father. His dream of becoming a chef was still strong in his mind and he could care less about leading a marine fleet or stay with just one person for the rest of his life. He, no, they were free spirits and nothing or no one could keep them chained.

The blond man would have continued with his mental debate with no possible solution in mind, but the sight of a young brunette female had already occupied his mind for now. He would get their clothes, but first he would enjoy the beauties – and he did not mean just the landscape – of Southern Italy.

.

In a question of minutes, Antonio and Gilbert got lost in the increasingly crowded streets. It was mostly due to Gilbert, but he would never admit it. While Antonio was eager to ask for directions, the albino just kept going forward stating that his awesome sense would guide him wherever he was. It turned out, it didn't.

The two foreigners were becoming more and more anxious as they couldn't find either a music instruments' store, as Gilbert dubbed, nor their way to Bella's home, which was supposedly easy. Worse, no one was even giving them a second look since they looked like con artists and the first street lamps were already lighting up, signaling the beginning of the evening. When all seemed lost, they heard a voice that was indistinguishably British and terribly familiar.

"Can I help you two gentleman?"

.

Feliciana only stared confusedly at her blushing older sister. While she was sure they already had enough food for the ball and nothing else was needed, Lovina kept disagreeing until they made the double of the pre-established quantity. And Lovina still wanted to make more. So that left the oldest Vargas to go alone buy more ingredients because Feliciana was just too tired. But when Lovina came back blushing brightly, Feliciana could only wonder what happened. While she never got her answer, she did hear the words 'stupid', 'perverted' and 'Frenchman' in the same sentence.

The 'Frenchman' part made her remember their cousin Francis, whom they hadn't seen for years – but that was mostly because Lovina seemed to hate him – and for a few moments Feliciana wondered aloud if their Casanova cousin would also attend the ball. Lovina grimaced and told her sister to go change herself and stop thinking of stupid people. The ball would start soon and all that either of them needed was some stupid guy who would make things worse.

.

Blinking slowly, the blond woke up. It took him a few moments to realize he was lying on the street, beaten up, but when he did, he only smiled nostalgically as he regained his muscle sensations. He had originally planned to use many lines on the beautiful brunette on her way to the grocery store, but when she turned around he realized what a big mistake it had been. No wonder that rich brown hair seemed so familiar…

He laughed to himself as he got up and rested against a building. Gazing at the sky, he wondered how long he had blacked out, when the sight of a familiar figure got his attention. Antonio was standing on the end of the now empty street, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Francis couldn't see very well his friend, because of his swollen eye, but he was sure it was good old Tony.

"Hey, Tony, where is Gil?" Francis asked faintly.

Frowning – completely unlike Tony – the man answered.

"Oh man, this is so unawesome…"

Francis gasped. Tony never said things like that. The only one that did was Gilbert, but then, how come…? Before he could ask what was happening, a nostalgic voice sounded from behind him.

"Hello, Francis."

Turning around, the Frenchman smiled. Now things made sense. Before blacking out again, Francis made sure to turn back and gaze at those unforgettable green orbs.

.

"That's what I call a celebration!" Bella's voice boomed through the mostly empty and recently decorated saloon. The only ones there were she, Lars, Elizaveta and Ludwig. The sun started setting and soon enough the food – and the Italian twins – would be here and, much later, the guests.

Elizaveta was smiling awkwardly while still not wearing a dress – she would only put it on after the guests arrived, to spare her suffering of the frilly things – while both Lars and Ludwig stared with blank expressions. They had already seen Bella's fury during the preparations and even more so when the trio didn't arrive on time with Ludwig. They didn't dare say a thing.

The head decorator called Bella and Lars followed soon after, leaving Elizaveta and Ludwig alone. While it wasn't terribly awkward for both of them, it had been a while since they last saw each other. At that time, Ludwig was still in high school and she was about to get married. Coincidentally, it had been the same time Gilbert left for his 'world trip' as well.

The Hungarian woman looked at Ludwig with a soft smile. The young German boy had grown tremendously since they last saw each other and she could only wonder if he probably passed Gilbert's height… the thought made her frown. Noticing this, Ludwig finally spoke.

"Is everything okay, Mrs. Edel-"

"It's Miss Héderváry now." She quickly interrupted, surprising him. But then her smile was back. "For you, Ludwig, it's Eliza."

Noticing her distress concerning the marriage topic, Ludwig only nodded. When it seemed the silence would stay permanently, she spoke again.

"Ludwig… do you know how that idiot is doing? You know how can he be after all, thinking of highly of himself and, well, being an idiot overall. But I haven't talked to him ever since…" For the first time in a very long time Elizaveta looked nervous, almost as if she was afraid. "Ever since he went away… I mean, do you… do you receive letters from him or something?" The Hungarian asked while nervously adjusting the flower in her hair.

He instantly knew exactly whom she meant. "Yes. He always sent me letters but it never seemed enough. After finishing my education I started searching for him and I finally found him." He let a smile escape. "He will be coming tonight."

As a response, she only nodded.

Ludwig wondered if he should tell another bit of information, and after a few moments, he thought it fit. After all, it wasn't like his brother never told his embarrassing actions.

"You know, he did write some letters to you." At that, Elizaveta started to listen intently. "He sent them to me, though, since he didn't want to send it to your home."

Despite her best efforts, Elizaveta's eyes started watering.

"It was quite a pack of cards; enough to fill a whole box if I remember correctly. I apologize, but I don't have them here. If you'd like, I could ask for our servants to send them-"

"No, it's fine." Her smile was utterly heartbreaking – so unlike the toothy grin she usually showed everyone else.

Maybe telling her this had been a mistake, Ludwig thought. He was never one to pry in others' personal affairs, even if this was about his idiotic –at times – brother. Even though he was the youngest child, he sometimes wondered how childish Gilbert could be at times. Especially when Elizaveta was involved.

Initially, he didn't care much. The Hungarian he'd known ever since he was young was always like family to him, so when she was to marry their cousin Roderich nothing felt more natural. Ludwig had been too young to realize his brother's feelings for the young lady who was becoming more feminine each day. To be honest, he didn't think Gilbert was all too aware of his feelings either. His brother only started showing signs of lovesickness after Elizaveta had left.

And from there, everything went downhill. Gilbert transformed into a stranger in front of Ludwig's eyes: his overenthusiastic brother became quieter and his face was set into a stern frown. He would only smile to Ludwig and his two dear friends, though even then the small grin was only a shadow of his once sunny smile. Gilbert may have become serious, but he was still far from what their parents wanted: disciplined, quiet and efficient – like Ludwig. Everything culminated after a fight between Gilbert and their parents while Ludwig had been at business school. One day he returned home to discover he was now the heir to the Beilschmidt name and all records of his brother were missing.

Gilbert had been disowned. And Ludwig had only managed to see him now, after one long year.

His only connection to his brother had been his two friends, the French Francis Bonnefoy and the Spaniard Antonio Carriedo, both heirs to even more important families (Carriedo was even part of the royal family, for Heaven's sakes!). However, soon enough the Bad Friends Trio –oh, how they loved to be called that name, Ludwig still remembered– joined the same fate after a series of terrible events. Francis was disowned after he refused to ever settle down with just one partner and was denied of his family's empire in both fashion and large sets of restaurants. But Antonio had been the one to get the shorter end of the stick: his overly happy nature didn't help him one bit when his brother was set against him and managed to convince their parents to make Antonio learn, for once and for all, the true meaning of money and hard work. Of course, it didn't work and the Spaniard had been kicked out of his palace for good unless he found a suitable wife – and quickly, at that.

To think those three had once been called the Golden Trio that would revolutionize Europe… the memories of cruel whispers and ruthless remarks from their once-called friends only made Ludwig irk.

A sniff brought Ludwig back from his thoughts.

Ashamed of being caught spacing off, he was about to apologize to Elizaveta for his rudeness – and perhaps even drop a word from Gilbert – when he saw her. She was crying. Strong, fearless Elizaveta Héderváry never cried. But it was happening right in front of him. Never one to know how to comfort others, Ludwig could only stand still as his mind rushed through a number of phrases he could use. And, as usual, he had taken too long.

Elizaveta quickly left the saloon with a chocked excuse that she would go change, even though it was still very soon. As the Hungarian woman ran through the main door, two young ladies had entered the room through the kitchen passage.

The saloon was now completely empty with only Ludwig and the two brunettes standing. He could barely notice how similar they looked, since both were displaying very different emotions: one of them was in the verge of tears while the other seemed to be on the verge of exploding.

And it was just his luck when the angry one said loudly, her voice booming through the saloon.

"What did you say to Liz, you potato freak?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vocabulary:
> 
> Grazie – Thank you in Italian
> 
> Magnifique – magnificent in French
> 
> Mes amis (French) Meus amigos (Spanish) – my friends
> 
> Bruder – brother in German
> 
> Que hermoso! Que ciudad maravilhosa! – How beautiful! What a wonderful city! In Spanish
> 
> Belle sud de l'Itallie – the beautiful south of Italy
> 
> .
> 
> A/N (2012): There are no excuses for why this chapter took so long. All I can say is that the story became even longer (for my writing, that is) so the ball will only be in the next chapter. There are some plot points that will be further explained later on. For now, the facts are: Arthur met his old 'friends', Lovi didn't recognize Francis (but she still beat him up), and the bad friends trio will attend the ball but in a different fashion.


	4. The Masquerade Ball

The only sound that could be heard in the empty saloon, currently basked by the fading lights of the sunset, was the tapping of Bella's expensive golden shoes. She couldn't believe it; she was only gone for a little while to check that everything was perfect when suddenly Liz had disappeared and now Lovina was in a staring contest with Ludwig. The blonde firmly held her mask while she ran as quickly as possible – with those shoes! – to where the group was standing.

She couldn't let anything ruin her ball, and that included her friends and the missing trio. After all, this was the date she planned so carefully for when dear Tony would finally meet the girl of his dreams. With that thought in mind, she marched like a queen.

.

"So, potato freak? Explain yourself!" If Lovina's voice wasn't already fearsome, her flaming eyes certainly were.

"Potato freak? Where did that come from?" Those were the words Ludwig meant to say. However, he didn't dare utter a word to the strange girl, partly because he didn't want others to pry into his brother and Eliza's privacy and partly because he was actually afraid of her. From behind Lovina, Feliciana was shaking slightly. The younger Vargas wondered how come Lovi wasn't scared of the huge and serious man standing in front of them, but then again, Lovi always surprised everyone. And if someone didn't do something fast, the Italian girl would probably attack the German.

"I asked you, wurst obsessed, what did you say to Liz?"

Both Ludwig and Feliciana flinched at Lovina's wrath.

"Lovi, I don't think that's something very nice to say-"

"Stay out of this, Feli. I know you like big sis Liz even more than I do, so you ought agree with me." Lovina answered with a serious expression.

Feliciana frowned at her sister's tone and spoke no more. It was hurtful whenever Lovi became like that – she never seemed to think of other's feelings. Before the older Vargas could continue her verbal assault, however, another voice boomed through the saloon.

"May I ask what's going on over here?" Typically happy Bella asked with an even more serious tone than Lovina had used. However, instead of looking at either the twins or the German, the Belgian looked at no one else than her brother. "Lars?"

At that, everyone turned to see the quiet man, who had been in the room all along. Now that Ludwig was looking at him, he remembered that Lars only accompanied Bella so far as she left the saloon. He had stayed.

Turning his favorite pipe in his hands, Lars answered with his deep voice. "Luddy mentioned Gil to Liz. That's why she got upset." And with that, he left to the balcony to smoke.

"Oh, so that's why!" Bella's laugh was especially louder this time around. "Well then, problem solved! I'll go check on Liz, 'kay? Girls, remember to set the food just right and Ludwig, are you done with the cables yet?" Before she could hear a reply, the blond girl was gone.

The room was now much quieter and less tense than before. Feliciana sighed while keeping an eye on her sister while Bella left the saloon. Lovina seemed to have quieted down and then left to the kitchen, mumbling all the while. The youngest Vargas was left with the still slightly scared German. While Feliciana was still afraid of him, she felt the need to apologize on behalf of her sister.

"Uhm, I'm sorry, Signore. Lovi easily gets angry and that leads her, well, us, into lots of troubles." Darn it, she was already messing her words. Breathing deeply, Feliciana tried to calm herself down. He didn't seem angry. "So… no hard feelings?" She asked with a slightly strained smile and still tense hands.

Ludwig could see the amber-eyed girl was scared of him – everyone usually was, really – so he gave a shot at his best smile, which felt alien on his face.

"It's fine."

He cringed by his own attempt at trying not to be scary. He could still remember his older brother's loud laughter whenever he would see Ludwig smile unnaturally (which was as rare as his natural smile). But somehow, it seemed to have worked, albeit just a bit. The girl's smile was less strained now and she was looking at him with a different expression than before. Strangely, his heartbeat rose for just a bit.

"Thank you, Signore!" But the smile was quickly gone, replaced by a frown. He didn't know why, but Ludwig felt slightly sad to see such beautiful smile gone. "Hm… Calling you Signore seems kind of weird, though, since you're my age and all… Wait, you are my age, right?" Realizing her early assumption, Feliciana tried to avoid letting the German become mad. "Ah, I'm seventeen... N-not that I'm calling you old or anything, Signore- I mean…" She decided to shut her mouth, fearing she had already said too much.

To her surprise, though, he only laughed. Idly, Feliciana wondered how someone so serious-looking could have such a handsome smile. His voice brought her back from such thoughts.

"Yes, I believe I'm a bit young to be called Signore, even though some tend to call me just that. I'm also seventeen." Noticing her dumbstruck expression, he realized he hadn't introduced himself yet. "Oh, I apologize for my manners! I'm Ludwig Beilschmidt." He extended his hand to her.

Smiling, she took his hand and gave him a hug, startling the stoic German. "Hi, Ludwig! I'm Feliciana Vargas, but you can call me Feli!" Letting go of his hand, but still smiling, she continued. "My sorella may seem scary, but don't worry! Lovi is actually very nice!"

Still blushing, he frowned. "Lovi?" The name didn't seem new to him. "Pardon, but… by any chance, is your surname Vargas?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

"My brother and his friends often mentioned your names…" Ludwig was now deep in thought. Sure, he remembered hid Bruder and Francis cooing over how cute a certain Feli was, and even how Antonio himself, long ago, used to talk about a Tomato Lovi… or was it Tomato Love? His memories seemed very blurred right now. This girl also remembered someone else-

"Brother? You mean… Gil is your brother?"

He nodded.

"Wow! Davvero? But you two look nothing alike!" Feliciana gasped.

Ludwig frowned lightly. "Well, you and your sister don't seem very similar either… I mean, not in your looks or anything, it's just-"

Feli laughed at that. "True. Sorella and I may be twins but we're very different! Did you know she like tomatoes? I'm not much of a fan; they're usually too sour… I like pasta and potatoes more-"

"FELICIANA! STOP BABBLING AND COME HERE THIS ISTANT!" The shout undoubtedly came from the kitchen.

Still laughing, Feliciana took off to the kitchen, but not before shouting to the flustered German. "See you later, Ludwig!"

Deciding to put the foggy memories of a sweet young boy who somehow remembered Feliciana to the back of his mind, Ludwig shook his head. He had cables to take care off, or God help him if some of the lights failed during the ball.

.

"Why were you talking with that potato freak, Feli? Did he threaten you or something?" Lovi asked angry, but the worried tone was clear.

Feliciana just smiled and shook her head. "Not at all, Lovi! You know, Ludwig's actually pretty sweet. He didn't yell at me even though he looks scary!"

The older Vargas could swear all that was left of her younger sister's sanity was gone by now, probably by fear of that stupidly tall German.

"Pretty sweet? Who the hell were you talking to? Because it just can't be that potato freak!"

Feliciana frowned and did what was the closest thing to a glare. "Don't say that, Feli. You don't know him."

"Oh? And you do? You just met him!" Lovina was close to screaming now.

Feliciana's frown only deepened, adding to her now pensive expression. "I know, but… somehow, it seems like I know him from a long time ago. He reminds me of someone else… like, from before Nonno passed a-"

"Stop, Feli." Lovina drew a sharp breath and went back to setting the plates. "I don't want to hear about it. That time had long passed, remember?"

"But, sorella-"

"Feli! Do you or do you not want that restaurant?" That made her shut up, Lovina concluded with no real smiles. "Then get to work!"

"Si…" Feliciana said in a tone devoid of all her previous happiness.

After they finished up setting the plates, Feliciana was gathering the cutlery while Lovina made sure everything was in place, all the while glaring to a certain German. Feliciana would also direct her gaze to said German, but with smiles.

Needless to say, Ludwig couldn't look either Lovina or Feliciana in the eyes, albeit for different reasons.

.

"Liz? Is everything okay?" Bella asked in a soft voice, very much unlike her usual one.

Her answer was a sobbed "come in". Nodding, the she entered the room. This was one of the biggest guest's rooms in the mansion and Bella had refused to give it to anyone else than Elizaveta. When she found out her Hungarian friend from her pre-teen years had recently asked for a divorce and had no place to live, the Belgian offered one of the elite rooms for the upcoming ball. She knew Elizaveta would make a much better use of this place rather than some ignorant rich fool.

"Oh, Bella, don't worry about me." The brunette said in a surprisingly firm voice. Then again, Elizaveta had always been the strong one. The only clue one would have about her recently crying would be her bloodshot emerald eyes. "I'm fine, really."

Bella sighed and sit down on the bed next to her friend. "Do you really think I wouldn't know you, Liz, after all these years? You can tell me these things, y'know."

"Even if I do, it's not like you'd understand, Bel." That grabbed the blonde's attention. "You never had to work your ass off to get some things in life. Then again, neither did I. The most I ever did was fight my way through life, and look what that got me." Elizaveta's laugh was anything but joyful. "Now, Lovi and Feli… those two know what hard work really is."

Slightly putout, Bella answered glumly. "My life hasn't been exactly a sea of roses either, Liz." At her friend's unconvinced look, she continued. "Okay, so I didn't marry a guy with a stick-way-up-his-ass who turned out to be gay for his Swiss childhood friend. Okay, so I also didn't lose my friendship with my long time albino crush… but Liz, you're only focusing on the bad side of things! At least neither Roderich or Gilbert ever mistreated you, did they?" Bella took her friend's silence as a 'yes'. "Besides, you're still respected every way you go. You can always start over and there will always be someone for you. You don't have to worry about money or family name."

At this, Elizaveta finally realized what Bella was referring to. While the Hungarian's love life had always been a difficult subject between the two friends, Bella's past and family name had practically been a taboo. After all these years, all that Elizaveta could gather was that she was mistreated by her parents, who worked with less than legal subjects. That's why the Belgian girl, who had always been in an excellent financial situation, suddenly found herself stuck in an orphanage when she still had her parents – who had been arrested for such activities. Despite her family line and money being forgotten, the Belgian always seemed to have enjoyed best her days in the orphanage with her and the twins. Even so, Bella had never lost hope as she continued to chant her beloved fairytales. Liz eventually realized this was her way of coping with her situation at the time. It took her half-brother's hard work to get her out of the orphanage and take her as a full family member of his side of the family. Of course, Lars and Bella never seemed like anything less than loving siblings and that was all that mattered in the end. And even to this day, the Belgian had always maintained her upbeat attitude and love for fairytales and romances.

Feeling slightly guilty for bringing up the subject, Elizaveta sighed and hugged her friend. Even if the Hungarian had learned how to cook and be a proper lady, it was still rare to receive physical contact from her – unless it was from a frying pan. Smiling, Bella hugged her back.

"So, are you ready to try on the dresses I chose for you? We should be rather quick since there are twelve!" The Belgian squealed happily.

Instead of rolling her eyes like usual, Elizaveta just sighed. Bella would always be Bella.

.

The masquerade ball was going great. Everyone was wearing very elaborated masks and some people were even wearing costumes. The heavily decorated ballroom seemed to glow as brightly as the present women's jewels. The pristine floor reflected the standing and dancing guests while the walls were filled with the best type of lights, elegantly placed on golden candelabrums. The ballroom was heavy with laughter and excited chatting, every now and then with some soft music coming from the hired band. The delightfully organized colorful appetites had been, more than once, highly praised by many of the guests.

The Italian twins had already received six different jobs – and dance – proposals from many gentlemen, only to be turned down. According to Lovina (who was wearing a rounded green mask, matching her dress), they were there to make sure their part was correctly executed and that was all. Feliciana, (with the light blue matching dress and mask), only smiled politely at each refusal. She wasn't too bent on dancing, especially with such dresses, so she agreed with her sister. Although, she had to admit that she wasn't been the most helpful with the food. Instead of watching the guests eat and ask for their opinion, her attention was usually diverged to a tall, blue-eyed blond man.

Bella, wearing the most pompous pink dress and mask in the whole ballroom, was skipping from place to place at all times: either she was chatting with guests or dancing with possible suitors. Lars, after the initials guests had arrived and he closed some business deals, was now outside finishing his first cigarette of the evening. Elizaveta seemed to be the mysterious woman of the night. With her violet and slightly simples dress – which was great for hitting fools, she concluded when Bella showed her the dress – and her matching mask, she wouldn't gather much attention. But it was her fierce attitude, combined with her long hair let down and sparkling emerald eyes that caught everyone's attention. She had turned down every single dance proposal, almost hit two men until they passed out, ate half of the food by herself in an unladylike manner, and was now hanging around a very embarrassed Ludwig.

"So… have you checked your room again?" She asked, trying to be subtle.

With a loud sigh, Ludwig answered. "For the fifth time, Liz, yes, I've checked it; and they haven't arrived yet."

"What about the entrance?"

"Not there yet."

"The gates?"

"I've asked the guards, not a single shadow."

"The backdoors?"

"Same."

"The chimney? You know how those three can be-"

"Liz! They aren't here yet!" At the German's outburst, several heads turned to his direction. Ludwig recognized with a blush, a kind pair of amber eyes… and one not so kind. Trying to keep his voice low, he continued. "I apologize, but I can't spend the whole evening searching for those three! Bruder promised he would be here before the ball, but he isn't. Knowing those three, like you said, they are probably in one of the bars or passed out on the streets." He ignored Elizaveta's protests. "Which is exactly why you shouldn't go search for them." Ludwig finished with a serious expression.

Frowning, Elizaveta gave up.

"Fine! See if I care!" The Hungarian pushed a man out of her way and went in the direction of the entrance for the ninth time that night.

Ludwig could only sigh tiredly. This was not how the party was supposed to go like. His brother and their two friends should've been the first ones to arrive and maybe then – but just maybe – his outfit wouldn't have been so stupid. Really, who wears a solder's uniform in a masquerade ball? Frowning, the German also realized he couldn't hold the bridge of his nose, which was currently covered by a simple, white mask. Every time he tried to change his outfit something would come in his way, namely Elizaveta and her intense desire to see his brother, Gott knew why. Perhaps now that she would be gone for five minutes, he would be able to change from this horrible outfit. Seizing the opportunity, Ludwig quickly started to walk in the opposite direction of where the Hungarian girl went a few moments ago.

.

Elizaveta wasn't just fuming; she was almost combusting. She couldn't believe her night was turning out like this. Where the heck was that stupid, infuriating albino? He had promised not to her, but to his dear little brother who he smothered all the fricking time, that he would be on time. And now here she was, already at the middle of the ball with no white hair in sight. She knew for a fact that the whole Bad Friends Trio – she realized grimly that they couldn't use the royal in their name any longer – plus Ludwig would be wearing soldier uniforms as their theme costume so it wouldn't be hard to find any of them in the party since all the guests were using old, Victorian outfits. But of course they didn't arrive on time.

She shouldn't have expected any of them to show up, she knew that. They had always had a knack for trouble and attending balls was never their preferred activity. It was naïve of her to think that they would do so just because of Antonio, their best friend, current situation. He needed to attend this ball, not for fun, but for financial purposes. She and Bella were all too aware of his disinheritance and they wanted to help their old friend. But then again, she suspected Bella's way of helping wouldn't be exactly what he was searching for. Antonio had never been the type to settle down. Or maybe she should say that about Francis.

But Gilbert was different from the other two; he was another story. The narcissistic albino, while absolutely maddening, had also been her best friend – a phrase that was, sadly, in the past tense – and even an eventual crush. However, their situations and future goals didn't match at all.

Initially both planned to join the army, but Elizaveta discovered that, as a woman, she would only be able to join like a nurse. Besides, she was the only heir of the Héderváry household and marriage was not an option. Her family even considered Gilbert a possible suitor – the Beilschmidt family was the most powerful of both Germanys anyway – but it was his loud refusal of even discussing the subject that made the Hungarian royalty give up. Instead, Roderich, Gilbert's cousin, was elected as a promising husband and they were quickly married.

She had never hated Roderich at all and with time, she learned to love him. The shadow of her past friendship was forgotten in the first years, but with time, memories started to flourish – for both of them. The couple agreed to support each other in the reestablishment of past broken friendships: Roderich with his Swiss bodyguard and friend, Vash, and she with Gilbert. It had been frustrating to achieve nothing on her part while Roderich quickly regained his part friendship and soon enough Vash was always with them. She had never hated Vash either, even when he told her of his long kept feelings towards Roderich.

"One word from you and I won't ever say anything to him. But I thought you had the right to know." Those had been his words. And how could she have possibly denied him that? It would've been hypocrisy to forbid him to tell his feelings when she herself only wished to do that for many years. Even if she searched deep inside herself she knew she would never hate her precious Germanic boys, friends and battle companions (aside from Roderich). Her tears when signing the divorce documents were only of happiness for two of her best friends who had found each other. The only thing she had asked was pictures and many other records of the Germanic couple, to which Roderich and Vash acquiesced while brushing brightly. She still had some very enlightening pictures of them, which Bella even asked to buy, but the Hungarian vehemently refused. Seeing those two together, happy, even after years of hardships coming from their houses only gave her hope. Even if she never acquired such ending with Gilbert, she needed to have his friendship, at least. Which led her to her current predicament.

After finally receiving news of the infamous trio and knowing of their arrival at Italy – due to Bella's kind invitation – she also came to the Southern part of Italy. It seemed so promising in the beginning, meet her friends again after years of being apart: Bella and her brother, the adorable Italian girls, the trio and especially Gilbert. Little did she expect to see them all so changed! The twins were now all grown up and worked harder than many adults Liz met during her travels, and so was Ludwig, who she suspected was already much taller than his older brother. Bella was also different from before; her sparkling eyes, while still kind, held more maturity than girls of their age. Even Lars seemed a bit different, still silent, but much kinder ever since Bella's arrival at his life. And from the many pictures Ludwig showed her, she could see the trio also grew up… albeit only physically. Even so, she couldn't wait to see them again. Bella's plans still echoed in her mind and she would do everything possible to make their wish come true.

"Listen closely, Liz. I didn't invite you only so you could mope around realizing everyone grew up." Bella said when they were picking their dresses a couple of hours ago. "I have a plan, you see. I want to reunite everyone while we're all here in South Italy! And I mean everyone: my family and your family, the trio's whole family – and don't give me that look - Roderich and Vash, and the adorable twins!" The blonde clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, how I would do that? Well, that's very simple! All we need is a celebration big enough to make everyone come; a happy celebration, of course. And by that, I can only mean-"

A wedding, Elizaveta remembered with a smile. With new resolution, she continued to circle the ballroom. Everyone would come and perhaps now they could finally see each other without bitterness or hurt. That was what she wished the most.

.

"Sorella?"

"Yes, Feli?" Lovina answered half-mindedly to her sister as she continued to examine each card they've received in the last couple of hours. Most of them were from very renowned places, she realized with distaste, and some were also quite suspicious. Either way, she wouldn't give them much thought. Her goal was to own a restaurant after all. "…What is it, Feli?"

"Huh? Oh, right!" Lovina dismissed her sister's low attention spam, as always. "Uhm… why didn't you like Ludwig?"

Lovina rolled her eyes. For a moment, she thought this would actually be an important question. "Because I don't, Feli. He's annoyingly serious and has a stick way up his ass, just like that prissy Roderich."

"Roderich was very nice, sorella! He and Liz used to take care of me and they were the nicest!"

"Yeah, they used to take care… of you." Lovina answered angrily.

Feliciana only sighed sadly; Lovina never did get over the twin preference deal. Personally, Feliciana also resented that, but she knew the only reason she was initially more liked by others was because Lovina wouldn't open up for anyone.

"But, Lovi… uhm…" She was at lost with words. Lovina was already pretty irritated and God help her if she'd worsen her mood. "Bella likes you best?" She tried with a smile.

"Humph." Was Lovina's answer, but both knew that always made the older Vargas a little bit happier.

Before Feliciana could continue a loud voice boomed through the saloon.

"Liz! They aren't here yet!"

Turning around, Feliciana noticed whose voice it had been. The voice belonged to the German young man she had talked before. He was frantically talking with Elizaveta, but he didn't seem particularly mad, like his voice had seemed. What was his name again? Ludwig… something. Okay, so maybe Feliciana still couldn't remember his last name, but it was German and that language was difficult! Just remembering his name was enough for her anyway; it's not like she would call him by his last name or anything, that was way too formal and she thought of him as a friend.

From beside her Lovina flinched. The older Vargas mumbled something about "scary potato freaks (or was it head?)". Feliciana frowned slightly. She didn't think Ludwig was that scary. Certainly, when they first saw him she had covered behind her sister – an action she wasn't exactly proud of, but then again both Vargas were a bit of cowards… not that Lovina would ever admit that – and she had hesitated to even look him in the eye… but now she wasn't the slightest bit scared anymore. For all his seriousness and strong build, Ludwig looked more like an awkward child than a huge mountain right now. Somehow, Feliciana thought it was cute.

Noticing that Liz was leaving the room – all the while shoving many young men out of her way – Feliciana decided to finally go talk with Ludwig. It was the first time in the evening she had seen him alone after the beginning of the ball and she wanted to spend some time with him. Lovina was still fumbling with her cards and Ludwig started to leave the room as well. This was no time for being indecisive, Feliciana concluded. Subtly, she left the surroundings of the buffet. Ignoring the increased rhythm of her heartbeats – surely it was only because she was sneaking out of Lovi's sight – she followed the pacing blond man out of the ballroom.

.

Ludwig started to slow down on his track. Was it just him or there seemed to be steps right behind him? Small, quick, skipping steps? He wasn't exactly sure, but only one person could possibly fit such light, happy steps. Filled with curiosity and just a little bit of hope, he abruptly turned around. The view before his eyes was better than he could've possibly imagined. There stood in front of him a petite Italian girl, gasping for breath, with light brown hair and eyes, hidden only by a light blue mask. He idly noticed her dress matched the color of the simple, yet quite artistic mask; it was probably handmade.

"Wow, you're –huff- fast, aren't you, Ludwig?" She asked with a smile, still a little short of breath.

"What are you doing here?" He asked gruffly, lost in this surprising, yet delightful moment. However, his voice sounded much harsher than he intended.

Feliciana flinched slightly. "I-I've seen you leave the ballroom, and I wanted to talk with you, so I came after you but…" The hurt tone of her voice seemed like a knife to him. "…I can leave if I'm bothering you."

"No! I- I'm sorry. Please, stay." The words escaped his lips before he could even think. He wanted to hit himself for sounding so desperate. But all his frustration disappeared when shining brown eyes turned to look at him. She was still here. She didn't run off scared to somewhere and that was more than most people did when alone with him. Suddenly feeling bold, he asked the first words that appeared in his mind.

"D- Do you… Doyouwanttodance?" He skipped over his own words in a haste attempt to get the words out before his courage disappeared.

He sincerely believed that would only make her smile widen, but instead it became a frown much similar to her sister's for his taste. Damn, he screwed up. At those times – and only during these times, mind you – he wished to be more like his "crazy, didn't care for any consequences" older brother.

.

Feliciana blinked in awe. She didn't expect this turn of events or the fact that he actually wanted to spend some time with her. From what she heard from Bella, Ludwig seemed to be from a pretty important family and had a lot of responsibility, which somewhat justified his too serious attitude. And as far as she knew, the Vargas family had never rich or very famous. The closest she was to important family names would be to their second cousin Francis, but after Nonno's death they hadn't met him again.

Because of Ludwig's social position, she understood why he wouldn't want to talk with her, even if it hurt. She couldn't help the happiness and anxiousness that possessed her when he called her back. For a moment, she indulged herself in thinking that social positions didn't really matter; they were just two people knowing each other.

Upon his request to dance, however, she frowned. Honestly, she was very much flattered that someone like Ludwig would give her the time of the day. But in this case, she shouldn't accept such request. Who knew what she, Clumsy Feli as Lovina called her, could do during dancing? She didn't even know how to dance like the guests in the ball did; all she did was flail around when the opportunity presented itself. She barely knew how to behave herself in such formal attire, imagine actually dancing and then proceeding to make a spectacle of herself? That feeling turned much worse when it was actually Ludwig, a guy she cared about, who was asking her. The way his face scrunched up in pain just made it all worse. Attempting to correct the mistake, she started:

"Uhm, it's just that I… don't really know how to dance." She mumbled awkwardly. God, what would he think of her now? This dress wasn't ever hers so start with!

The sound of a soft laugh snapped her out of those thoughts. The next words weren't, by far, what she'd expected to hear from the German gentleman.

"That's okay, I don't know either." His voice was much softer than before; and she could almost feel his smile in those words.

When she looked up, she swore she passed a whole minute without breathing.

Feliciana lost herself in their little awkward dance. Ludwig didn't have to be an astounding dancer to give her tingles and make her cheeks blush like never before. But he had to have such a beautiful smile that would bring one out of her as well. Her smile widened when she realized her dress and mask were the exact same hue of blue that his eyes were. It was a light, beautiful blue.

She started noticing little things during their quick, somewhat unbalanced steps: how Ludwig was much taller than her, but not to an uncomfortable level; how his hands were bigger and warmer than hers, how his breath tingled just a little above her ear and how calm and kind he really was. Most strangely of all, this feeling, this proximity didn't feel exactly new to her. A sense of nostalgia filled her.

And, for the first time in her life since her Nonno died, Feliciana started to believe in fairy-tales again as she danced with Ludwig.

.

"Miss. Vargas?"

Lovina eyed the two Asian businessmen. She tried to smile nicely – like Feliciana did so effortlessly – but it came out as a grin. Frowning at her failed result, she went straight to the subject.

"So, did you bring the contracts? I mean, we've been waiting for you two to show up for a long time now. And look, we even received a few cards! So you better sell the restaurant to us pretty quick, huh? You know, now that we've got the money and all-" Oh God, she was babbling. This was humiliating.

"And where are the contracts? You aren't holding them or anything and you guys don't seem to have one of your fancy black suitcases or anything…" Grim understanding started to sink in. "Y- you know what? I'm just going to get Feli and then we can all sit down and discuss the details, okay? You need both our signatures after all, I know that, but my stupid sorella probably forgot, so I'm just going to get her and then-"

"Miss. Vargas-" The Chinese man said her name in a tone that closely resembled pity.

Lovina bit her tongue back, but she couldn't help but glare at the man. Who did he think he was, to pity her like that? Willing herself to shut up, she let one last question in the air. "So, uhm… the contracts?" She tried to keep her voice as controlled as possible, but the underlining desperate sob was noticeable.

The Japanese man whose name she couldn't remember – damn, where was Feli right now? – sighed.

"Miss. Vargas, please try to understand."

.

Strangely, there were no guards in sight by the hall's entrance. In a normal ball that could be possible, since there was never enough personnel in such occasions. However, since this was happy, savvy and smart Bella's ball, Elizaveta knew something was wrong in this situation. Bella would never allow anything short of the best quality and since she could pay it, she would take every single guest's security.

The Hungarian briefly considering changing from that awfully uncomfortable dress and take the entrance's security by herself. The idea seemed very good, but her feminine pride – and stamina – wouldn't be able to take Bella freaking out with the destruction of her oh so precious violet dress. Before Elizaveta could envision another plan, a groan came from behind her. Turning around, she found no one else than Prince Carriedo.

"Antonio?" She asked, stupefied.

The Spaniard didn't seem to have heard at all and he kept groaning and touching his head while murmuring some obscenities. This was definitely weird. Whoever knew Antonio well would know two things: one, he rarely stopped smiling and two, even when he did so, he did not mumble obscenities. That was the type of thing Francis and especially Gilbert did.

"Antonio?" Elizaveta tried again.

This time around, he heard her. Turning his head in her direction, he stood still for a few moments. Neither knew what to say. Elizaveta was very much freaked out by her old friend's appearance out of nowhere – with his two friends still missing – and his very out of character actions. Antonio was serious, pensive as he looked at her. This was definitely not normal. While they weren't exactly the best buds of all, they had never shared such an awkward moment before, even after her divorce. She thought he would say something, but in the end nothing came out.

"Antonio." Her patience was really running thin. "What happened to you? Why are your clothes all dirty and… shouldn't you be in your royal uniform or something? And most importantly of all, where is Gilbert?" She was nearly shouting now. Realizing she had missed something, the young woman quickly added. "And Francis?"

"Gilbert?" He frowned at her. His eyes visibly read "What the hell are you talking about, woman?" and Elizaveta did not like that. No one had the right to look at her like that, especially not dumb, smiley Antonio. It was too much of a familiar look – one she wasn't prepared to receive just yet.

"Yes, Antonio, Gilbert! Where the hell is he? Where the hell is Francis too, and where the hell were you all? Bella had been completely freaking out!"

Had the Spaniard cracked his head open or something? He was acting more aloof than ever.

"Just Bella had been completely freaking out?" He asked with a smirk that was very much unlike his own.

Elizaveta had seen Antonio's smirk only once before, albeit quickly, during a fight training. She used to train and fight with the boys when they were little until they – and she herself – found out about her gender. After that, only Gilbert continued to train with her. She had seen Antonio smirk once when he won by a landslide. It had been an arrogant, but also naïve smirk. No, what she was seeing now was not Antonio's smirk.

This was Gilbert's smirk.

"Antonio, is that really you?" She asked with an unbelieving voice. How could she even ask something crazy like that? But something wasn't right, and her fighting instinct was never wrong. Damn, she should've brought a frying pan with her.

His smirk quickly disappeared and he started to laugh awkwardly as he examined his own arms. Before he could explain – and he would explain, she would make sure of that – a shout echoed from the beginning of the hallway.

"Antonio! You're finally here!"

And without a moment's notice the smiling Belgian had engulfed the prince in a strong hold. Even though this scene should be normal – Bella always greeted Antonio like that – it was incredibly awkward. This Antonio wouldn't hold her back; in fact, he seemed like he had no idea what to do. Elizaveta stood aside from that, scrutinizing the Spaniard. Something was wrong.

"Oh, Toni, you'll have to tell me what happened with you guys, but later, okay?" The Belgian was smiling at him. "I've received Francis's note; it's such a pity he and Gilbert won't be able to arrive today! But at least you came, like agreed!"

Bella didn't give him time to answer as she dragged the prince to the ballroom. Elizaveta stood a few more moments at the entrance before going after them, dance plans forgotten. How did Francis send Bella a note when he wasn't even near the entrance? Why was Antonio acting so out of character and where was Gilbert? And Francis, too. The Hungarian lady was watching the Spaniard very closely. Something was definitely wrong.

.

"Attention, everyone! I'm Bella, the host of this wonderful masquerade ball! I'm here to announce that Prince Carriedo of Spain has finally arrived! Please give him a round of applause!" A round of applause, mostly of politeness, followed her announcement. "And now, the prince is going to choose the first lady of the night that will have the pleasure to dance with a prince!" At that, the applause increased with many women's shouting.

Antonio only laughed uneasily as he stared at the crowd in front of him; the fact that everyone was wearing masks just made it all the more unnerving. Bella's constant pressing from beside him and Elizaveta's glare was enough to make him sweat.

A young brunette went to them while the women's shouting continued to increase in hopes of drawing the people's attention.

"Lovi! Perfect timing!" Bella smiled.

Antonio couldn't take a good look of her face as she whispered something to Bella.

"You mean Feli?" The blonde answered somewhat lower so others wouldn't hear. "Last I've seen she was with Luddy, dancing!" Bella squealed delightedly. "Speaking of which, why don't you do the same to the handsome prince-"?

"Feli was what?" The Italian woman, Lovi seemed to be her name, yelled indignantly. "Feli doesn't dance! Feli doesn't have time to do that type of thing, Bella! She has to take care of our rest-" A broken sob came from the brunette.

Both Bella and Elizaveta rushed to her side, asking her what was wrong. With another sob, the brunette shoved them away and ran to the entrance.

"Lovi, no!" Bella sighed loudly. That was unusual, he gathered. "Liz, could you go after her?"

The Hungarian solemnly shook her head, all the while glaring intently at him. Antonio silently gulped.

Somehow, the exchange didn't seem to have gotten anyone's attention at all. The guests were still talking loudly and the women were still shouting and coming closer, trying to get the prince's attention.

Bella sighed irritably once more. Elizaveta, while not exactly the easiest to get along with, didn't have a habit to search for enemies at every corner, and much less to be hostile to old friends (aside from Gilbert). The Belgian noticed how different the prince was acting, but she only blamed the moment. His two best friends bailed him out – Francis with a girl and Gilbert was probably too scared to face Liz – so she could act understanding. Gazing at the crowd of girls who were quickly coming their way, she came up with a solution. So the first dance didn't go as planned, but she would do something about it later. Lovi could wait for a little bit longer.

"Antonio, would you dance with me?" She asked, half-willing and half-worried.

The prince nodded gratefully.

They started dancing simply, not too close or not too far from each other. They had had lessons when they were younger, but she thought he was slightly off rhythm. Tonight's happenings must've been really tough on Antonio, she thought, the Spaniard never lost his touch with dancing. Right now, he seemed like some awkward young man who didn't seem to have much practice in it at all.

"So, uhm… Bels?" He asked tentatively. She smiled at their old nickname; it had been a long time he had called her like that. "This Feli that you've been discussing… you know, the one dancing with Wes- Ludwig. Is she, by any chance, called Feliciana Vargas?"

Bella blinked. How on earth did Antonio know who the Vargas twins were? So he knew all along? Was her plan really ruined now?

"Yes, that's her. But I really think you'd be more interested in her older sister, you know, the one that just passed over us. Her name is Lovi-"

"So this Feliciana is spending time with Ludwig, huh? Can I meet her later?"

Resisting the urge to kick him in more than one place, she gave him a tight smile followed by a curt nod.

Antonio smiled somewhat smugly. "Great. I've never imagined those two would bond again. I can't wait to see them!" He said right as they finished their short dance.

"Then you'll have to wait, Carriedo. Looks like you've got a line waiting for your… dancy-feet." Elizaveta deadpanned as she looked at him. She didn't call Antonio by his last name, suspicious of how he was acting tonight – especially with that half-assed dancing, completely unlike him – and the fact that two people were still missing and no one seemed to care. Elizaveta didn't feel like being the most tolerant person right now. Especially since that idiot still hadn't arrived.

The horde of eager young ladies was still there waiting for their chance. After all, it wasn't every night you could dance with a prince.

.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! The words were reverberating in Lovina's head. How in the hell did this all happen? Just yesterday, heck, and just a few minutes ago she thought her happy ending was finally coming. Their hard work paid off and they'd get the restaurant of their dreams, of Nonno's dreams. She thought this was what really mattered; apparently, not to Feli who was already dancing with some boy and forgot all about their restaurant. She couldn't believe it. Her whole dream ended right before her eyes.

"Miss. Vargas, please try to understand. A new buyer showed up this morning and offered the double of your amount, with the objective to build a local marketing – a place that would also benefit the city more than your project, if I may add. I- we deeply apologize for changing our world now, but this is certainly an irrefutable offer. We sincerely hope you and your sister will understand."

Lovina felt like punching those two Asians in the face, with a loud sound of something breaking, if she could. She resisted that urge, not without sending them both to hell, before she went to search for her sister. Everything else from then on was just a blur. Bella's happy and annoying words, Elizaveta standing beside the Belgian and looking all weird, that Spanish prince who was a friend of Bella's… she didn't even give him a second glance like Bella insisted her to, but then again it's not like that type of thing mattered to her. The Italian girl ran faster than ever before, leaving the mansion to stop only at the garden, almost at the gate's door. She briefly considered leaving altogether, but remembered her darling sorella was still in that nightmare of a ball, so Lovina just slumped down on the soft grass, fancy dress be damned.

Almost there my ass, she thought bitterly as she gazed at the moon.

She had just lost her dream. She lost her drive to work hard and she lost all her purpose after these long, tiring years. She wanted nothing more than lie down and spend whole days crying in bed. But Lovina wasn't that type of girl; she wouldn't spend days moping around hoping someone would rescue her or anything like it. She was a woman of action and damn it, she would get her restaurant and make hers and Nonno's – apparently not Feli's anymore – dream come true. Looking up above, she saw a single bright star that she recognized from her childhood days. Ever since that night in the orphanage when she and the girls stood around to make a wish upon a star she had never really given much attention to the stars again. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down as she dried the tears stains from her cheek.

She couldn't believe in what she was going to do. Desperate – no, childish and immature, she added – measures called for desperate, childish and immature acts. All was lost anyway, so why couldn't she indulge herself in a little wondering? God, she hated how much she sounded like both Feli and Bella right now.

"I- I wish…" Lovina took a deep breath once more. She was still shuddering. "I- I wish-" Damn, she couldn't bring herself to complete even a single phrase. Silently, she closed her eyes and completed the wish in her mind "I wish my, Feli's and Nonno's dreams come true." When she opened her eyes again, nothing had changed. Of course, she silently added. These things were for children, not grown, independent women. But still, one could only wonder.

The slightest movement made her turn slightly back. Down on the ground, camouflaged amidst the green grass, stood a bright green frog. If it weren't for the frog's very different appearance, she'd have just ignored it. However, the frog was very much standing up while looking at her with the most beautiful chocolate color she had ever seen on anyone, be it human or animal. It almost seemed like it wanted to say something. Great, now she was seeing things too. Deciding to be playful, Lovina leaned down and whispered to the frog.

"I suppose you want a kiss?" She asked with a snort.

What she didn't expect to hear, however, was a response.

"Kissing would be nice, yes?"

Wait.

Did that frog just… talk?

What.

Turning her head with such quickness she could've probably hurt a nerve, Lovina glared at the frog. No, there was no way he said it. There was no way in hell the frog had actually spoken and worse, said such lewd words. Yep, she was just crazy. Maybe tonight's horrible development got her even worse than she thought.

"Uhm, excuse me, señorita? You did offer me a kiss, did you not?" The frog mouthed the words perfectly as he raised his arms to make his point, all the while speaking in the most humanly way possible.

Lovina did not take pride in the girlish scream she gave at the moment. Grabbing whatever she could find nearby, from garden decorations to her own mask, she started throwing everything in that aberration of a frog's direction. Amidst her terror, she was utterly annoyed to realize the frog had easily dodged all of her throws, all the while excusing himself and commenting on how she had "a very strong arm, princess" with a wink! Growling, she grabbed the frog in her right hand before emitting another high-pitched scream.

What the heck was that disgusting slime?

The frog acrobatically jumped and fell gracefully on the soft grass. Oh, Lovina was really beginning to hate the amphibian's guts.

"Princess, please," He stretched out the last word. "I desperately need your help to turn human again. A wicked wizard got me and my friends and the only way for me to turn back is with a kiss!" He said it all so seriously that Lovina almost believed him.

"Yeah, right. Look, I'm just seeing things and finally getting crazy after this horrible night. I'm sure that by tomorrow all this" She emphasized raising both hands to point at everything surrounding them. "...Will be over and I'll go back to my stupid life. "Because you," She pointed at him with a fierce glare. ", a frog, doesn't talk and I certainly do not kiss frogs. Is that understood?"

Gulping, the frog tried to find another way out of this.

"Perhaps I could also be of your assistance?"

As a reply, she snorted very unladylike. The frog frowned. Was this really supposed to be a princess? But then again Francis did comment on how girls from Southern Italy were way more blunt and rude than normal. Mentally sighing, he tried another strategy.

"You see, I'm a prince. And a foreign one, to boot!" Another snort. Ignoring, he continued. "Yes, I am a prince, thank you very much. Therefore, I could help you if you helped me. I'm sure that as a prince, I possess fame, money and connections – all things that could help you achieve whatever goal you seek." He said slowly. "Perhaps I could grant you a… wish?"

He smirked when he could see the brunette's resolve falter for just a bit. God, he was really hating how much he sounded like Francis right now. But then again, Antonio Carriedo could not spend his whole life as a frog and that was final.

"Just… one kiss, right?" Lovina asked, suddenly doubtful of her own resolve. Was she really going to do this?

The frog was smiling like Christmas day had come early. "Of course. Unless you beg for more." He licked his lips in what was apparently supposed to be seductive. In the end, it just came off as utterly gross.

Oh God. She really was going to do this, Lovina deadpanned in her own mind. Taking a deep breath and mentally preparing herself for one of the worst sensations she would ever feel in her life, she quickly bent down and kissed the frog.

Surprisingly, the kiss itself hadn't been unbearable, but it didn't feel much like a kiss either – then again, how would she know when she had no experience in such subjects? – But the feeling afterward was. Her limbs started to hurt all at once and her subdued migraine started throbbing. Lovina closed her eyes to shield from the pain, but it only kept getting worse. From far away there seemed to be a voice calling to her, probably from the frog. He had tricked her, Lovina thought with rage. But there was nothing she could do now, with all her body hurting and heat surrounding her.

Just when it was all getting unbearable, it stopped. Like a popped bubble, she came back to her senses as she looked at her surroundings. The grass was now much closer to her face and the trees and moon seemed much farther than before. When had she lied down? Probably during that painful experience, she thought. Looking around, she was surprised to see so much of her dress let down on the grass. She didn't realize it was such a big thing before.

It all clicked when she turned around and saw the frog, with an expression of disappointment – how dare he? - That stupid frog that tricked her that was right… right in front of her.

She couldn't have screamed higher even if she had wanted to.

"Princess, princess, calm down!" The frog was trying to hold her with no success.

As she screamed and backed away from him, Lovina realized her skin color was also green, but in a lighter shade than the frog's. How disgusting.

"What did you do to me? I'm small; I'm disgusting… I'm green and I'm covered in slime!" Lovina didn't even bother trying to subdue her screams anymore. She was a frickin frog!

"Oh, no, it's not slime, princess." The frog laughed slightly. "It's mucus." He answered with a smile, seemingly proud of knowing that little piece of information.

"You little-" Without another thought, Lovina the Frog proceeded to strangle him.

If only the mucus would make things easier, she thought bitterly as the stupid frog once again escaped her grasp, all the while smiling and laughing like a loony. Why was the idiot so happy, anyway? Before she could venture to ask her question, however, another scream – this time, high above – interrupted them.

"FROGS! FROGS IN THE GARDEN!" A blonde guest wearing a yellow dress started shouting at them.

"Huh? Another princess?" The frog asked confusedly as a horde of guests surrounded them. "Wait, more princesses?"

Lovina noticed that all of them were holding nets to catch them and then do who knows what to them.

"Stop crying, Bella, it's just frogs!" Someone cried from faraway. Lovina realized that it was Elizaveta. A surge of hope rose in the small frog. Maybe Liz would help them, she was always the one with the reason and-

"Fine, I'll get rid of them for you. Just stop crying, you sissy!" Elizaveta's voice rang loudly as another set of light, but steady steps approached them. "I'm in no mood for more problems tonight. Do you hear me? No. Frickin' Mood!" The brunette screamed angrily as she held a frying pan in her hands.

Anyone who knew Elizaveta also knew she was deadly to all living things when she held a frying pan. Frogs were no exception.

"RUN!" The frog shouted to Lovina as the frying pan seemed to get nearer and nearer.

Both of them started to jump awkwardly in a hurried attempt to leave the grounds. Lovina noticed with hatred that the frog wannabe-prince could still jump better than her. It should be no surprise, considering the idiot was a lunatic and had been a frog all his life, but it still irked her enough to give her a boost in running… or jumping. Whatever.

The last thing she registered before that slimy, wicked, stupid frog dared to pull her was the disgusted and scarred looks of Bella and her sorella. Oh, that and Elizaveta's very heavy frying pan, which barely missed her now mucus-filled leg.

This nightmare of a ball just got worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vocabulary (using google translator):
> 
> Signore – Mister, Sir in Italian  
> Davvero? – Is that so/Really?  
> Si – Yes, in Italian.  
> Gott – God in German  
> Señorita – Miss in Spanish
> 
> Wurst is German for sausage, which is a food greatly consumed in their country, leading to some stereotypes. Being Lovi, she would probably use that (and potatoes) to address Ludwig.  
> .
> 
> A/N (2012): So you can see I'm changing some things from the original story, especially because this cast is bigger than the movie's one. In the next chapter there will be the explanation to what exactly happened with the Bad Touch Trio.


	5. The Dark Maze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N (2012): This happens right after chapter three and before chapter four.

"Can I help you two gentlemen?" A voice indistinguishably British and terribly familiar sounded from behind them.

Gilbert gulped while Antonio frowned, very uncharacteristically.

That voice could be only one person and that person was-

"Arthur. What the hell do you want?" The Spaniard all but growled at the smirking blond.

"A tip of the hat from Mister Kirkland to you both, old friends." The Englishman ignored him while he playfully threw his top hat around in a manner that even Gilbert had to admit was, indeed, awesome. "How are you doing?" He asked with a smirk that reminded Antonio very much of a snake.

"We've been just fine." The Spaniard answered before Gilbert could open his mouth.

"Is that so?" Arthur asked in an all-too-innocent tone. "How curious. I'd have supposed that, with the way you were disowned, you would be crawling in the streets desperately. Although that does seem to be what you two were doing…" He finished with a smirk.

"How did you know we were-" Gilbert started asking but Antonio cut him off.

"Calla-te! I'm sick of your little games, Arthur! Why the hell are you here, anyway?"

Antonio was never one to curse, ever. Gilbert noticed the Spaniard was getting angrier by the second, and that could be dangerous. So, the Prussian decided to save the situation with his awesomeness, which would work – hopefully.

"Hey! Arthur, buddy," Gilbert called his attention before the two old enemies decided to fight right in the middle of an unknown, but thankfully desert now, street. "How have you been? I- We haven't heard much from you lately."

"Maybe that was because you two were living in the ways of the poor?" The Brit added with an indifferent expression.

Quieting down the urge to punch him in the face, Gilbert smiled. He knew someone had to be the bigger man here, especially since Francis wasn't around and Arthur was too… weird. Even in their younger days the self-called Prussian didn't remember seeing the green-eyed man like this. He seemed indifferent and aloof, which was nothing new to Arthur, but he was also different. Gilbert couldn't pinpoint why, though.

"Okay, so, uhm… How are you doing? Anything new in your life?" He was getting desperate with his questions, and it was showing. Gilbert just hoped things wouldn't escalate into a fight.

Surprisingly, Arthur smiled.

"Hm-hmm. Yes, I'd say I have a few… friends now." The green-eyed man replied mysteriously. Even his grin seemed weird. Arthur either smirked or smiled awkwardly, he didn't grin toothy like that.

And Gilbert did not want to know who those friends were.

"Cut to the chase, Inglés. What do you want with us?" Antonio, of course, was as oblivious as ever. He didn't notice a single different thing in Arthur, but it was rare for Antonio to notice things like that.

Arthur sniffed as if he was upset but neither Gilbert nor Antonio reacted. The Brit had always been bad at acting, after all. With swift motion the blond threw a small object that Antonio effortlessly caught.

The small object was in fact a card and in it there were the following words that Antonio spoke aloud: "Arthur Kirkland. Mage Extraordinaire. Tarot Readings. Potions. Charms. Curses. Dreams made real."

Gilbert, who had been rolling his eyes ever since the word "mage", stopped when he heard the last phrase.

"Dreams made real? What do you mean?" The albino asked interestedly.

Antonio felt like slapping his friend in the head. What the hell was he doing, trusting in Arthur? The Brit's antics were always the worst possible kind and it never ended well. Antonio had quite the collection of unfortunate memories to prove it, the worst being of his beloved Armada: the fleet of ships that his parents had given him burned to the ground in the interval of one night and Antonio knew to this day it had been Arthur's fault, even if there had been no evidence.

"It means exactly what it says. I – no, me and my friends can make your dreams come true." Again with that weird smile.

"And what exactly are those new friends of yours?" Antonio asked irritated. Even if he and Arthur were never friends, he was still sore about the fact that the Brit had so easily disappeared out of their lives right before they were disinherited. Gilbert and Francis, on the other hand, had been dejected about it, though they'd never admit it.

"Hmm, how should I put it…" Arthur mumbled to himself. At least that irritable habit of his wasn't gone, Gilbert and Antonio noticed. "I would say they are friends from another world."

Ugh, again with the fairies? The two thirds of the Bad Friends Trio frowned at the thought. Arthur had always been way too happy living in his imaginary world with fairies and unicorns and whatnot. He never seemed to have grown up out of that habit.

"Or rather, I would say that I have friends on the other side." Arthur replied with a smirk that sent chills down the duo's spines.

"O-Other side? You don't mean… ghosts, do you?" Gilbert flinched.

"That's a lie!" Antonio shouted angrily, even though he still had goose bumps. "There is no way you could talk with spirits, that's impossible!"

"Maybe for you it is, Carriedo." Arthur replied with ease as he ignored the Spaniard's glare. "But I can assure you it's quite true. Perhaps you two would like a… demonstration?" He smirked at them with a devious glint in his eyes.

"A… demonstration? How so?" Gilbert asked.

"Anything, really." Arthur sighed, as if he was tired of saying those words. "I can read your palms or your tarot cards to tell you about your past or your future." The Brit noticed Antonio's eyes widen in surprise. "I can make you potions. I can send charms and curses to whomever you please. And I can make dreams come true." The glint in Gilbert's eyes didn't go unnoticed, either.

"But how?" The albino asked, and this time there was something else in his tone. Longing, perhaps?

"It's very simple, really. All I need is to know what your wish is, and as long as there is a payment enough to grant the wish, it will happen. And even if you don't have the payment, my friends can always give you a help." Arthur blinked as he added the last words.

"And what payment would that be?" Even Antonio seemed interest, but he hid it well in his tone.

"It depends on your wish. If you two agree to come with me, I can show you the cards and then we will know what the payment will be. Of course, if you decide you don't want to do it, you can always go back to your current life."

But Arthur already knew it wouldn't happen. He saw the look of interest and desperation in his old friends' faces. The same look he once had as well. Antonio and Gilbert would definitely do it and while it pained him so, Arthur knew there was no room for old feelings in his heart anymore. He still had to repay his new friends.

"Shall we go?" He asked with a smile and a slight tip of his top hat. The little trick usually worked better with women, but Arthur was pleased to note it had also appeased the two men, albeit slightly.

Antonio was still unsure and his frown was ever so present, but one look at Gilbert made him reconsider their choices. Their lives weren't getting any better and there was a limit to how much they could still indulge themselves. Truth be told, he wasn't that crazy to get married to someone just because they were rich, but he did need money and a wife. He would still refuse the offer, though, since he didn't believe in Arthur or his weird magic.

But Gilbert seemed to believe in it, and even though they both knew it would probably fail, Antonio missed seeing Gilbert hopeful or actually happy ever since Elizaveta's marriage. His relationship with Ludwig wasn't going all so well either, after their family started ignoring the albino completely and focused their sole attention in the youngest son. If this could help Gilbert, even if just a little, it was worth it.

Taking a deep breath, Antonio made his decision. He turned to face Gilbert with a smile – one of his old ones, when life was still easy and joyful – and was happy to see his friend smile back. He wished to see Gilbert and Francis happy again, like they used to be. And with that decision in mind, the three men marched forward to an obscure alley.

.

Francis truly liked Italy and that was a fact. There was nowhere in the world with such a soothing climate, where there were the best wine – except for the French wines, of course – and beautiful women and men strolling down the street. While the northern part of Italy where the stunning works of art were displayed in various museums, the South offered the best tomatoes and pizza in the whole country. Italy was indeed a country of beauties – in many ways.

"Mon cherri, it'd be my utmost pleasure to escort you to the local ball this evening." The Frenchman winked at the lovely lady he'd met just moments ago while sauntering the busy streets of South Italy.

"Would you really?" She asked excitedly in her slightly nasal voice. "Oh, grazie, signore!"

"Signore? Sacre bleu! That makes me sound old! Why don't you call me Francis, cherri?" He asked with his indestructible smile number three.

The young woman smiled at him as he offered her his arm. She had short, chopped auburn hair and matching eyes. Her cheeks were currently very pink, naturally from her constant blushes around him. Like all Italian girls, she reminded Francis of his two cousins and he briefly wondered if it wouldn't be a tad awkward to date her. But then again, this girl – what was it again? He would have to ask later – didn't have a smile as radiant as his sweet Feliciana or a blush as ferociously cute as fierce Lovina.

Francis was really excited for tonight's ball. Not only would he have the chance to meet a multitude of lovely ladies and gentlemen, he would also see his sweet cousins again. Well, not really, since he had seen Lovina just a while ago. She was every bit of a beautiful young woman as he'd expected. Sadly, her temperament hadn't improved during these years. He had only winked at her and flirted a little, nothing else! He didn't really know it was his cousin to begin with, and he was still in doubt whether Lovina had known who he was. Francis shrugged his shoulders in response. He would see her later in this evening so there would be no problem.

Ah, this evening. Francis had a good feeling about this. Ever since his and his friends' disinterment life wasn't looking so nice to them, but he was confident that this ball would change it. For one, Elizaveta would be in the ball and while he hadn't told Gilbert about it – his awesome friend would probably have a panic attack that would last for hours and it would not be desirable – Francis planned to make a little matchmaking along with Bella to help those two birds. As for Bella, he did promise to help her with Antonio as well, but he wasn't so sure about that. Those two were old friends of his and it would only bring him joy seeing them find happiness with each other, but Francis wasn't so sure there would be l'amour between them.

Nevertheless, he could always hitch up Antonio with one of the thousands of ladies who would be in the ball, eagerly waiting to dance with the prince. Oh, if they only knew how broke said 'prince' was. But one thing was for sure: if they were only interested in Antonio's status or money (which he didn't have), they'd have another thing coming. As the oldest member in the group – although he rarely took pleasure in the fact – Francis had a self-told duty to help his friends whenever possible. And things were looking gloom now, which was all the more reason to act quickly.

It would be sorrowful to leave all those lovely ladies waiting, but Francis would dedicate his time to help his two best friends first. They still had a chance with love while he–

"Francis! Where are we going?" The girl – still didn't know her name, how ungentlemanly – asked him anxiously.

"Hm? We are going where I left my friends, cherri."

"You mean here?" Her small brown eyes were terrified and her voice was awfully high. "We can't go here, this place is cursed!"

"Cursed? Cherri, surely you must be overreacting. I've walked this path a while now and nothing happened. There were even people walking in there."

"Well, yes, but that was during the day. Nobody comes here after the sun starts to set. It's cursed by spirits and-"

Francis sighed heavily. He never did have much patience with these types of subject dealing the unknown and fantasy. Worse, it was bringing him much unwanted memories of emerald eyes and blushing cheeks. Ugh, he could not deal with this right now. Tonight was Toni and Gil's night, he couldn't slip up when he was matchmaking.

"-This is where those voodoo and hocus pocus people live; it isn't safe. They say this is where the old witch down the street, the woman who reads cards, the people who talk with spirits and the mages-"

"Mages?" Francis asked, despite knowing better. Damn, those little words always had an effect with him. Even if it had been just a plaything when they'd been younger, the idiot had taken it so seriously…

"Yes, and they're the most terrifying of them all!" She shrieked in fear, noticing they were still walking down the sinuous path. "Like Dr. Facilier or that Kirk something fellow…"

And just like that, Francis's brain shot down.

"Kirkland?" He asked in a monotone.

"Huh?"

In a swift moment, Francis grabbed her shoulders with renewed urge.

"Is this mage's name Kirkland?" He asked urgently to the now terrified girl. "Is it?!"

"I-I- I don't know! Maybe? I don't know his name! I just know he's a weird man who wears fancy clothes with a top hat and has the strangest eyebrows-"

At that, Francis stopped and immediately let go of her. He had heard enough. And even though he didn't want to, he knew now. He knew where that fool had run off to after all this time.

He knew where Arthur was.

And he was losing precious time as he stood here. He let his hands and legs do its job as he ran desperately through the dark streets. He could no longer hear the girl's angry shouts and her questions about him escorting her to the ball. Finally, she gave up and shouted curses at him, but Francis still didn't slow down.

His mind was lost in a flow of old memories; memories he tried to let go or simply forget; memories he wanted to remember; memories he held dear.

Memories of a child younger than him who couldn't say his name well and instead a jumble of weird words that sounded like "Fwanshish" left his small mouth; memories of much too big eyebrows that even Francis himself couldn't fix, with all his talent. Memories of all-too-rare smiles as the boy he loved grew up and started losing faith in humanity, but never in his once-adorable imaginary friends.

How come green turned from Francis's favorite color to the one he feared the most? Nowadays, he couldn't even so much see it without getting swept up by haunting thoughts. It wasn't his fault. If he had had the chance to at least say a proper goodbye, he wouldn't feel so pressured every time he even heard the word 'eyebrows' and he wouldn't be blaming himself to this day. So what made him dash madly across one of the most dangerous areas in the town wasn't happiness or a wish to reunite, Francis assured himself, it was just guilt.

But guilt couldn't guide him so well. The Frenchman stopped to catch his breath as he realized how lost he was. The tall dark buildings all looked alike with no lights to differentiate them. The last rays of the sun were already gone here, as if the sun itself couldn't stand being here any moment longer. A chill ran down his spine, but Francis stood his ground. Not only did he have to find his way out of here, he still had to find Antonio and Gilbert. Damn, if he had known this place was so dangerous, he would've done better than live those two alone.

What if he wasn't able to find them? What if they weren't able to arrive safely in the ball or something worse had happened? What if it wasn't really Arthur and just someone who looked like him?

A croak interrupted his increasingly panicking thoughts. Looking down, Francis saw the source of the sound: a frog. Ever the one attentive to details, the blue-eyed man wondered what was a frog doing in the middle of the very dry streets of South Italy. There was no lake nearby this place that he knew of, and a frog couldn't have arrived here so easily.

This frog was definitely strange. He kept croaking in a non-stopping rhythm, almost as if he was trying to talk. Francis found it endearing and, forgetting momentarily of his quest, he bent down to see the frog better. It was quite the strange animal, indeed. It was even standing up, sacre bleu!

"Hello, little guy." Francis chuckled. "Are you part of a circus or something?"

The frog started to croak even more now, seemingly irritated. What a strange thing, indeed. The little creature was quite curious. It didn't even look so unfamiliar, looking closer. Maybe it was one of his old frogs? No, it couldn't be. Francis had had two frogs when he was young, both ironic presents from the younger Arthur, who called the trio 'cousins'. The comparison annoyed him, but then again, Francis did like frogs. Sadly, none of the frogs lived for very long and he had mourned their departure. Most animals didn't live as much as humans, after all.

Still, Francis found that the life of a frog was so very much easier than his own. No pressures, no money-related issues, no fights about choosing a partner or being the heir to a corporation in the arts. Sure, he wouldn't be able to stylize clothes or cook either, but he doubt he would mind it as much if he were a frog.

Croak, croak, croak! The frog was still talking, wasn't it? Francis sighed.

"Hey, little buddy, it's not like I can understand you or anything. You are a frog after all."

Strangely enough, the frog instantly stopped croaking and looked surprised at him. Wait, surprised? This was a frog he was speaking to, right?

This frog was getting stranger by the second. And not that it had finally quieted down; it even looked like someone he knew… Someone he really knew and that was a human. Indeed, there was no doubt. Those big chocolate eyes, which were always surprised or smiling – but not so much nowadays – were undoubtedly of-

"Toni?" Francis asked queasy. He felt nauseous, this couldn't be happening.

But apparently it was, since the frog nodded. The frog understood what he was saying and nodded at him. Sacre bleu.

"This can't be happening." Terror started to sink in. Francis could barely find his voice now.

Croak! The frog shouted – if it actually could – as a shadow appeared before them. But how could a shadow appear if this place was barely without lights? Francis noticed, feeling even more nauseated, that the shadow was moving its arms. And from what he could hear, the person behind him wasn't moving an inch. How could that be? Was this really a mage?

"Yes. I am really a mage." The shadow, rather than the person behind him, answered in an all too familiar voice.

Francis felt sick. This couldn't be it. This couldn't be his voice, not with this terrifying shadow and with the inexplicably frog-like Antonio right beside him. And it was only getting more and more surreal: the shadow actually seemed to be holding him. Before Francis could think about the surreal levels in this situation, the voice brought him back from his thoughts.

"It is courtesy to look when someone is talking to you, Francis. I believe you had been the one to teach me this?"

Only this time the voice had a face to go with it and Francis hated himself for admitting he had truly missed this face. But something was wrong.

Those breathtaking emerald eyes were there, and so were those abhorrent but strangely alluring eyebrows, but it was wrong. This wasn't him.

"Who are you?" He asked with the last bit of voice he still had as he stared the stranger who looked so much like the one he knew and loved.

"I'm Arthur Kirkland, obviously." He answered with a bored tone. It almost convinced Francis. "Only," And a devilishly smirk took place. "I'm a better version of him."

"What?"

"You may call me whatever: mage, witch, sorcerer, lunatic, wish dealer, dream maker… There are many titles for someone like me. Or so my friends tell me." The blond with bushy eyebrows chuckled. "But I'm still Arthur, of course."

Francis only glared at him. He wasn't so sure about that. He noticed that the frog beside him had long stopped croaking and was now glaring with hatred at 'Arthur'.

"And because I am Arthur, that means I care about you." The smile that 'Arthur' showed him almost made Francis believe in what he was saying. That smile, the soft one that the Englishman had only given him when they were younger and in love was too much. Francis looked at the ground resolutely.

"Worry not, my dear frog. I shall make your wish come true, as I have once promised you."

Blue eyes widened as a response. Did he- did Arthur, or 'Arthur', still remember? But then why was he–

"To be a frog and have no worries for the rest of your life. That's quite a unique wish. Although I agree it suits you." Another chuckle and Francis was once more tempted to believe this really was Arthur, by some twisted fate. "I had Antonio there be a test run. After all, I couldn't risk doing something wrong concerning you, could I?" Another smile and Francis was close to tears.

Was this really Arthur? But then why was he this cruel and wicked?

A loud croak sounded from beside him and before Francis knew, the frog – Toni? – Lunged itself at Arthur in an attempt to attack him. Francis tried to help, but he noticed that the shadow was still holding him. So it could work separately from Arthur?

The frog fell to the ground with a large bruise on its back, from where Arthur punched him. If it really was Toni, Francis couldn't let anything bad – or at least worse than this – happen to him.

"Run, Toni, run!" He shouted to the frog, assured it would understand. "I'll be okay, Art- he won't hurt me!" Francis wasn't sure if this was truly Arthur, and the possibility did indeed exist, but he needed Toni to flee.

The frog stared confusedly at him, so much like Toni usually did. Francis felt like screaming; he had to leave and find a way out of this curse, a way to save Arthur. And 'Arthur' was now walking towards the frog with a menacing expression.

"Run, Toni! Please!" The word made Arthur stop momentarily and Francis knew this was the only chance. "RUN! TONI, RUN NOW!"

And the frog did run. It started to run like a normal human in an awkward and even funny way – Francis would've surely laughed if the situation weren't so serious – until it changed into a more comfortable and efficient series of jump. The frog managed not to croak even once as it jumped away and soon it was gone.

Francis sighed happily when he could no longer see the frog. So, Toni was safe at least. Turning his face, he noticed that Arthur was still standing in the same place with a bored expression. Francis stared in a dumbfounded manner at him.

"Did you let him flee?" He asked, flabbergasted.

The other blond only replied with a shrug.

"It was your wish, wasn't it?"

It wasn't really a question and Francis didn't really have an answer. He didn't understand.

"Besides," 'Arthur' added, still in that bored tone of his, "I have control over him." He said as he held a necklace with a strange symbol in it. It looked tribal and definitely exotic. Francis guessed it could come from India, but he wasn't sure. He was instead looking at the content of the bin: it was blood.

The thought that this could be Toni's blood made the nausea sensation come back and this time he didn't hold in.

Arthur's only response was to sigh tiredly.

"Too bad. I thought it'd have been better if you still had a last overpriced meal before having your wish come true. From now on, the majority of your diet will be flies, after all."

But Francis wasn't listening anymore as a small needle prickled one of his fingers.

.

His Prussian sense of direction wasn't working well now, Gilbert concluded. He couldn't find a way out of this dark maze and he had been walking for hours. Something was definitely wrong. He didn't remember ever arriving at such place or staying in until night fell. The ball had already begun and he just knew Bella would endlessly scold him when he arrived. Not just Bella… Liz would be there too. Even though Toni and Francis tried their best to hide that bit of information from him, his clueless yet adorable little brother let it slip.

While in the beginning he wouldn't have been caught dead in that ball, now all he wished was to just arrive there, find his friends and have a memorable time there. He couldn't say nice because Liz – married, feminine and never brandishing a sword like she used to – Liz would be there. But he couldn't stay away either. He spent their travelling time creating infinite scenarios in his head of how their encounter would be and he still had no idea what to do.

And if he didn't manage to get out of this damn maze soon, those totally 'unawesome' – that was a word, even if Francis didn't agree – hours would be spent for nothing! He needed to get out of here, even if his body wouldn't cooperate. Strange, it seemed like his limbs were heavier. Especially his arms, as if he were used to carry big weapons like axes or something while his legs seemed slightly weaker, not so much used to walking long hours. But Gilbert blamed it on his tiredness. He shouldn't have fallen asleep in weird places – wasn't that what he had thought Ludwig, after all? – and that's just what he'd done.

One minute he was lost and the other he woke up in a creepy street in the middle of the night. Toni and Francis had probably left him somewhere, thinking he would have arrived on time. Where were they, anyway? Francis did say something about clothes, but he didn't remember anything Toni might have said about leaving. In fact, wasn't he with Toni when they were lost? Nah, he was pretty sure he had been alone when he was asking for directions… And now his head was hurting. Perfect.

He just needed to get out of this maze and go to the ball. And then everything would be all right, he was sure of it.

.

Francis asked himself if he should ever have trusted the stranger that appeared before him holding a necklace in each hand: one filled with French blood and another, with Spanish royal blood.

Francis felt sick. And he hadn't even truly grasped the fact that he was a frog now.

.

This wasn't happening.

This was not happening.

Even though Antonio kept repeating those words in his mind, he knew it was: his legs and arms, his once tanned and strong legs and arms that made girls sigh were now green, trembling little things that were slick with mucus. His only way of moving was through silly jumps since his legs weren't trained for walking like humans did.

And the reason he wasn't walking like a human was very simple: it was because he was a frog. He was a horrendous, disgusting little creature that did nothing but croak. He never had a particular liking to frogs, even if Francis had had a couple of them when they were younger – why, he never knew – thinking its only uses was to eat the flies in the house.

Oh, God, flies. He would not eat flies. He was a Carriedo, and proudly so! He was royalty, for Heaven's sake!

This was not happening.

He was jumping around like a mess, trying to get out of this dark maze while the

He was a prince that had been turned into a frog.

If he had not been a frog, Antonio would've probably laughed at the silliness of this situation. He had never trusted Arthur after all.

How could he ever go back to the way he was? How could his friends go back to the way they were? It seemed hopeless. But something clicked in his mind: there was a fairy tale his mother used to read to him and his brother during their bedtime. He had never been particularly fond of it either, preferring the tale of the puss in boots rather than of some silly frogs, but now it seemed to be the answer.

That's just what he needed to do: he needed to find a princess that would kiss him and everything would go back to normal! But where would a princess be in the middle of South Italy? The ball, of course! Antonio knew Bella was no princess, but she did comment in her letter that there would be ladies from all classes in the ball, including one she thought was very noble.

Por supuesto! He would find a princess and have true's love kiss with her, or something of the like!

He just needed to get out of this maze and go to the ball. And then everything would be all right, he was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vocabulary:
> 
> Calla-te: Shut up in Spanish (although I'm not too sure if this is how it's conjugated)
> 
> Inglés: can be both English (the language) and Englishman in Spanish
> 
> Mon cherri: my dear (female) in French
> 
> Grazie, signore: thank you, sir in Italian
> 
> Sacre bleu!: a term similar to 'oh my god' in French
> 
> Por supuesto!: a term similar to 'of course' in Spanish


End file.
